Memento Mori
by Return of the Thief
Summary: Remember that you are human. Remember that you must die. P4 x Bleach crossover
1. Prologue

**Persona 4: Memento Mori**

_We're seekers of truth, you and I. Searchers of mystery, discoverers of the great unknown. And what unknown is greater than the mystery that is death?_

Margaret looked around the room with a keen, cutting interest.

"How… conventional," she said, suppressing a smile.

"Indeed," Igor agreed. "And the most efficient for our purposes, my dear assistant." The playful expression vanished from Margaret's elegant features at this, replaced by a look of the gravest kind. She took a seat in the chair beside Igor's desk, gazing at her master with serious golden eyes.

"Master, is this a good idea? To interfere in this matter, in so blunt a manner, seems unwise." Her grip tightened on the thick, leather bound tome situated on her lap, turning her knuckles white. Igor responded with a low, creepy chuckle.

"Dear Margaret, never fear; I am simply complying with the fate dictated by the cards. The three worlds were invariably destined to intersect – it is best to, as you put it, interfere, so that everything we have worked so hard to achieve does not slip away, like sand through our fingers." Igor folded his hands and looked at Margaret with bloodshot eyes, seeming stranger than ever.

_Like a dream, between two realities, lost but not yet forgotten._

Margaret considered what Igor had said, analyzing the underlying implications, and realized she disliked them. Heartily.

However, she merely dipped her head in acquiescence to Igor's decision.

"Yes, Master."

_-x-x-x-_

Karin Kurosaki walked outside of her house, desperate for a breath of fresh air. Sighing, she leaned against the wall of the Kurosaki residence, shooing away a ghost that floated over to annoy her.

_I wish Ichi-nii would snap out of his depression, _she thought, glancing up at the sky. _Everything would be so much better if he could just move on. _However, Karin knew her older brother well enough to understand that that wouldn't happen, not easily anyway; her brother was born to protect others, and the loss of his powers had hit him hard.

"It looks like it's going to rain." Karin observed the iron grey sky above her head, and felt that the weather very aptly summed up the grand totality of her mood. She sighed again and turned to walk back inside, when she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. Whirling back around, Karin stared at the young man standing across the street from her home, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Their eyes locked for a fraction of a second, black meeting grey, and a shiver of unease ran down Karin's spin.

_Who…_

The young man stared at her a moment longer, and then glanced up at the sky. Then he returned his gaze to her own, and a soft smile broke his expressionless façade. He brought a finger up to his lips, making an obvious 'shushing' gesture, before walking away.

At that point, the first drops of rain fell from the sky.

**No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can't close your ears and cover your eyes to ****_the truth_****.**

_To be continued…_

**_Author's Note: _**Well, here's the prologue to my new crossover. As you could probably tell, it's an AU take on the 17 months after the Fake Karakura arc, in which Icigho lost his powers. I will be using elements of what Tite Kubo's put up, but the Persona cast will be replacing Xcution as the new group that interacts with Ichigo and the other Bleach characters. You'll also see elements from Persona 3 integrated into the story, such as the tidbit thrown in at the end, so hopefully P3 lovers will get a kick out of that. Finally, know that anything from Persona 4 Arena and The Golden will be disregarded for this story.

**_Return of the Thief_**, out.


	2. Chapter One

**Persona 4: Memento Mori**

_His eyes were pale and reflective, utterly oblique in the revelation of his true emotions._

"_Really, Naoto, what happened to the girl willing to get kidnapped to uncover the truth? I'm quite disappointed."_

Naoto Shirogane sat bolt upright, bathed in a cold sweat. Heart palpitating like a machine gun, it took her several moments to recognize her surroundings. However, she relaxed upon observing that she was in her sparsely furnished room, snug underneath the covers of her futon.

_It was just a dream, _she concluded with relief, running a hand through her soft, silky blue hair. It was getting a bit longer than she liked, Naoto noted; a trim was probably in order.

_Akutagawa-san can cut it later, _she thought. Naoto then glanced at her watch, ignoring the pang that hit her at the sight of the words _out of range_. It was almost seven o'clock in the morning.

"Might as well get up…" Naoto's voice trailed away, sounding lonely and even a bit empty in the militant-styled room. She rolled out of bed, systematically going through her daily morning routine. Before she knew it, Naoto was adjusting her coat and slipping on her newsboy cap. She then turned to walk out of her room, but paused in front of the mirror hanging up on her wall, taking note of the dark bags under her tired blue eyes. Naoto sighed, flipped up her collar, and walked across the hallway to the dining room.

Sitting at the western-styled table was Naoto's grandfather, somehow simultaneously displaying an air that was both stern and welcoming.

"Good morning, Naoto-sama. Please take a seat, breakfast is almost ready." Naoto nodded and wordlessly pulled up a chair.

"Thank you," she said, addressing the servant who had spoken, having appeared from the kitchen.

"You're most welcome, Naoto-sama," said the maid as she briskly set the table. Naoto kept her eyes on her plate, avoiding her grandfather's scrutinizing gaze.

"… You got up late. Are you feeling alright?" he finally asked, concern lacing his voice.

"No, I'm fine. I just…" Naoto shrugged, briefly glanced up at her grandfather, and then looked away. He was an imposing man, her grandfather, tall and muscular, with crisp white hair and a well-trimmed beard. His blue eyes, although piercing, were kind, and glimmered with gentle understanding.

_You've become so, so… inarticulate._

"If anything is wrong, Naoto, you can talk to me about it," said her grandfather, expression grave. Naoto hesitated, thinking over her reply, and then returned her gaze to his with some difficulty. He was more likely to leave her be if she could look him straight in the eye.

"I appreciate the offer, Grampa, but I am perfectly fine," Naoto said politely, voice flat. At that point breakfast arrived, and the duo dined in secluded silence. As they finished, Naoto's grandfather spoke again.

"You got a call. I believe it's a private client." Naoto blinked with surprise, and then sighed.

_No one ever said uncovering the truth was easy._

"I see," Naoto said. "I'll return their call shortly. But first I'd like to get a trim." Her grandfather frowned.

"It's not that long, Naoto," he said, and was met with a steely glare. He sighed. "Very well. Maka-san, fetch Akutagawa-san and tell him to bring his scissors." The maid, who'd been clearing the table with an intentness that meant she was probably eavesdropping, jumped.

"Y-yes, Shirogane-sama." She hurried off, and was shortly replaced by Akutagawa, a frumpy old man with clever fingers. Akutagawa also could not speak, a valued quality among servants; mute men told no tales. Escorting him was their other servant, more of a family friend, Yakushiji, wearing his signature black glasses.

"Does Naoto-sama want a haircut?" Yakushiji asked respectfully, brown eyes warm and cheerful, as he spoke for the man beside him. Akutagawa sized her up, expression critical.

"I would appreciate it, Akutagawa-san," Naoto said, taking off her cap. As Akutagawa bustled about getting ready, Naoto's grandfather stood up.

"I'm going for a walk," he said to no one in particular.

"Have a pleasant time," Naoto replied cordially. He nodded stiffly and walked away. Yakushiji watched him leave.

"The master is worried about you, Naoto-sama," he said once the older man was gone.

"He has no reason to be. I'm perfectly fine." Impatience crept into Naoto's tone. Akutagawa ran his delicate fingers lovingly though her short blue hair.

"If you say so, Nao-chan," Yakushiji said, using the nickname he'd called her when Naoto was a child.

"Please don't refer to me as that." Yakushiji laughed as Akutagawa tied an apron around her neck to keep the discarded hair off.

"Forgive me, Shirogane-sama. How is your Golden Week going?"

"Pleasantly enough, if somewhat dull," Naoto said, ignoring the hidden jibe. "However, I might have a case. Apparently a possible client has called."

"I see…" Yakushiji said quietly. Naoto inwardly writhed at the sympathy inherent in the statement.

_Don't give me your pity, it only makes it worse, _she thought. After several minutes of prep work, Akutagawa began cutting, the soft _snip, snip _the only sound to fill the silence.

"Are you almost done?" Naoto finally asked. Akutagawa drew back to observe her with a critical eye. His hands flashed briefly.

"I believe so. Your trims are always quick and easy," Yakushiji translated, grinning. Naoto returned the display of affection with a reserved smile.

"Thank you, Akutagawa-san," she said. He lightly patted her shoulder.

"He loves it, Naoto-sama," Yakushiji said. "Just keep in mind, if you ever want to talk to me or the master about what happened –"

"Yakushiji-san," Naoto interrupted with a warning look, and Yakushiji drew back defensively.

"I just wanted to say that we're here for you, and we'll listen to anything you feel like talking about," he said. Naoto gazed at him for a long moment, and then smiled.

"Thank you, Yakushiji-san, I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

_-x-x-x-_

"Hello?"

"This is Naoto Shirogane, private detective of Inaba. I believe I got a call from Mr. … Igor?" Naoto asked, inwardly tutting at the informality of both Mr. "Igor's" name and the receptionist's unprofessional response. There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Very well. Please hold." Before Naoto could say anything, elevator music started playing.

_Not a very respectful welcome,_ Naoto thought critically. However, this only served to pique her interest in whatever this "Igor" figure wanted.

"Why hello, Detective Shirogane," said a new voice, slick and oily sounding. "I'm quite pleased that you returned my call."

"It's not an issue," Naoto said.

"I'm glad, I'm glad. I have a very specific task I'd like you, and only you, to fulfill for me. An investigation, if you will. You can trust me when I say that the rewards of success, by your standards especially, would be great indeed." The young detective cocked her head.

"I'm listening," she said solemnly.

"From what I've heard, Detective Shirogane, you are the type who loves the type of job that is difficult, caring more for the pleasure of solving it than the pecuniary gains. Well, I can tell you that this job is probably one of the most difficult you could undertake, and if you can solve it, you could radically change our world as we know it, or at least how we perceive it."

_If he's trying to sell me on this case, he's doing a good job, _Naoto thought, stifling the brief spark of excitement that flickered into being as the voice spoke.

"Very well – but what _is _the case, exactly? I need specifics," Naoto said. There was a pregnant pause.

"Well… I don't really want to say more over the phone, my dear. This is something that has to be talked about face-to-face. If you're interested, how about you come visit me in Karakura town?"

_Karakura town? _Naoto thought; she'd never heard of it. It suddenly occurred to her that the case might mean she'd have to leave Inaba, which set off a whole new confliction of feelings.

"I don't know if you realize this, sir, but I'm still in school…"

"Yes, yes," said the voice Naoto presumed to be Igor, "I know all about that. You're a third year at Yasogami High, correct?" He plowed on without waiting for a reply. "Not to worry, not to worry, if you take the… what did you call it? A case? Yes, yes, if you take the case, all of that will easily be taken care of, heh heh." He had a strange laugh, more of a chuckle really, that made the hairs on the back of Naoto's neck stand on end.

"Can't you tell me anything specific, sir, to help me come to a decision?" Naoto asked. Igor said nothing for a moment, considering her request.

"Two years ago, you were involved in a serial murder case of almost… supernatural proportions. The investigation I have for you is of a similar nature, an attempt to uncover a truth long hidden from the public. I believe that your experience with this past case, and your prodigious family name, makes you the prime candidate for solving my… dilemma, I suppose you could say." Naoto opened her mouth to reply and found that she couldn't, because she had been struck dumb by the last sort of answer she'd ever expected, and thus could only stare at the phone in silent shock.

_-x-x-x-_

Naoto left as soon as she was able, in spite of her grandfather's protests. After recovering from her initial surprise, Naoto had curtly told Igor she'd be there that day, and got directions to his complex in Karakura town. It wasn't too far off from Inaba, thankfully, and she would arrive via train around mid-afternoon.

So now Naoto found herself seated in a compartment with a few other people, watching as Yasoinaba station receded into the distance. This induced a strange feeling of relief in the young detective.

_It's been awhile since I left Inaba, _she thought, chest tightening. In fact, the last time had been to visit…

"Don't think about that," she said aloud. The few people that were near glanced at Naoto briefly before looking away.

_I'm going crazy, _Naoto thought mournfully. Her world was steadily becoming nothing more than unfinished sentences and words directed at no one but herself.

_This case will be beneficial to me, _she decided. _Karakura town seems as good a place as any for a fresh start. A chance for me to get away from my skeletons in Inaba. _She sighed and rested her cheek on the cool glass of the train. Naoto then focused on what Igor had told her, marveling at how casually he'd let slip the supernatural aspects of the case that had ended seventeen months ago.

_I wonder… could it be that he knows about the TV world? _she thought. Then Naoto dismissed the idea as preposterous. How could some man she'd never heard of possibly know about that place?

_Then again, stranger things have happened, _Naoto mused. _Maybe it's possible that others are aware of its existence. After all, Izanami could've very easily granted the ability to enter the television to other people._

Naoto contemplated the enigma that was Igor, watching the slowly shifting countryside as it slid by. She was almost more interested in him than the case itself, although it did sound intriguing.

_A case of supernatural proportions… I wonder, could this maybe be related to the TV world? That might be why Igor decided to bring it up. _However, as far as Naoto could tell, nothing had happened within the other world since Izanami's defeat, at least according to Teddie. Then again, it had been awhile since Naoto had last seen him.

_All this postulating is getting me nowhere, _Naoto thought. _I'm sure Igor will answer all my questions once I arrive._

_-X-X-X-_

Karakura town really wasn't much of a town, Naoto reflected. It was a smaller city in the western Tokyo area, almost the equivalent of an American suburb. Naoto idly wandered the streets, searching for the address Igor had given her, although the size of Karakura town made it somewhat difficult. As Naoto rounded a curb, she spotted a tall youth with flaming orange hair, loitering on the street corner with a far off look in his eyes.

For some reason, he reminded Naoto of…

"Excuse me," she said, her voice dropping down an octave out of habit. He started, looking at her with bright amber brown eyes.

"What?" he said gruffly, keen suspicion in his sharp gaze.

"Do you know the location of this address? Or at least the general vicinity?" Naoto showed him the directions. "This is my first time visiting Karakura town, you see."

"Huh." Much, much taller than her, the young man practically had to crouch to get a better view. Naoto shifted, uncomfortable with the invasion of her personal space. Thankfully, the youth soon stepped back.

"From what I can tell, you're looking for that old mansion on the edge of town," he said, before describing to her how to find it.

"Thank you." Naoto tipped her hat in appreciation. The orange-haired man shrugged and looked away, seeming rather surly.

"Whatever, it's no big deal," he said. Naoto nodded and began to walk away.

_I wonder if all of Karakura town's residents are as friendly as him, _Naoto thought drily.

"Hey," called the man suddenly from behind her. Naoto turned, casting him an inquisitive glance. "Weird things sometimes happen around older stuff in this town, so just… be careful." Naoto stared, wondering what that could possibly mean.

_Two years ago, you were involved in a serial murder case of almost… supernatural proportions. The investigation I have for you is of a similar nature…_

Naoto shook away her straying thoughts, thanked the stranger again, and then walked away, leaving him alone to his musings once more.

_-x-x-x-_

The house was certainly big and old, with a derelict air to it that made Naoto wonder if Igor was somehow playing her false. She went up to the front door and saw that it was slightly ajar.

"Hello? This is Detective Shirogane," Naoto called out, too polite to walk in without an invitation. There was no response. After a moment, the door swung open even further, letting out a high pitched squeal in the process. Naoto contemplated her options.

_After coming all this way… am I really just going to turn back? _Naoto thought. Her curiosity overcame her propriety, and in the end, Naoto stepped beyond the threshold. Almost immediately the door slammed shut behind her, plunging the area into a dim gloom. Naoto whirled about and tried to reopen it; the door wouldn't budge.

_Damn. What's going on? _Naoto wondered, one hand lightly reaching for the handgun she kept at her waist, hidden by her jacket. She paused, taking stock of the situation, and allowed her eyes to adjust. After a moment she could make out the room; it was small and dirty, with peeling paint and rubble strewn across the ground.

"It doesn't seem to be inhabited," Naoto said aloud, her voice echoing strangely in the musty old mansion. Suddenly there was a bright blue light and Naoto blinked at the sight of a phosphorescent azure butterfly, floating several feet in front of her.

_What…?_

Like a ghost, it began to drift away, and after a moment Naoto did the only thing that made sense in the situation; she followed it. It led her through the empty house on silent wings, before bringing her to a spacious but empty room.

_I, Naoto Shirogane, Ace Detective, am following a butterfly. Perhaps I truly have gone mad, _Naoto thought, before jumping slightly as a beautiful blue door sprang into being on the far wall of the room. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked again. It was still there, glowing innocently, seeming as though it had always been there.

The butterfly was nowhere to be seen.

After several minutes of careful consideration, Naoto walked up to the door. Lovely flowing gold patterns covered it from top to bottom, adding to its mystique as it shimmered quietly before her. It had no handle. Naoto slowly raised a hand and pressed it to the door's cool surface, only for the opening to dissipate away.

_This… what is happening? _Naoto wondered, bewildered. The events before her seemed to defy all logic. Then again, as Naoto knew very well, there were occasions when the rules of logic simply did not apply.

Naoto found herself staring at a gaping entrance hole where the door had been, revealing a circular, rich blue office room lit by flickering lamps, also blue. A hunched man sat in the center, behind an empty desk. Beside him a beautiful blonde woman was seated next to a tall filing cabinet, so still she would have seemed to be carved out of alabaster if not for her flickering golden eyes.

"Hello," said the old man. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Naoto found herself unable to reply, her mind temporarily shutting down as she tried to make sense of what was happening. It was a sensation eerily akin to the tumultuous confusion Naoto had felt when she'd first been thrown into Namatame's TV.

"My name is Igor," continued the man, oblivious, "and this is my assistant, Margaret. Please, take a seat – we may end up chatting for a fair while." There was a plush chair in front of Igor's desk that Naoto was certain had not been there moments before. Nonetheless, she slowly sat down, gazing at Igor with glittering dark blue eyes.

"I expect an explanation for all of this," she finally said, looking around. Igor chuckled softly, his laugh no less creepy in person than over the phone.

"An explanation for what, my dear? We are in the Velvet Room, a place between dreams and reality, where mind and matter meet," Igor said. Naoto absorbed this information quickly, using it to draw up her own conclusion.

"Is this a separate world from where I come from, similar to the world within the television?" Naoto asked. Igor chuckled again.

"You're rather sharp, aren't you? You are right in saying that this is similar to the, ah, TV world, but it is not separate from _your _world, just as the TV world is not separate from your world. Everything is connected, in one way or another."

_So he _does _know about the television world_, Naoto thought, taking a deep breath to control her excitement. However, Igor raised a hand, correctly interpreting her train of thought.

"I know you probably have an infinite amount of questions to ask me – from what I know about you, you are quite the curious one. However, much of what you probably want to know is a secret not easily divulged, so I would rather us discuss what you came here for." Naoto regarded him for a moment, swiftly grasping the implications of the statement.

_He will not answer my concerns regarding Teddie's world, _she thought. Something told Naoto that nothing she did would dissuade him from this course of action.

"Very well. What is this case you've alluded to?" Naoto asked, struggling to conceal her disappointment. Igor chuckled, a low, unsettling sound, doing nothing to set Naoto at ease. Everything about him made the young detective uncomfortable; he looked like a villain right out of the many novels Naoto had read as a child, what with his hunched appearance, ferret-like nose, and bloodshot eyes. Igor's creepy mannerisms did nothing to alter her perceptions of him, either.

"How mature," Igor said, smiling widely. Naoto twitched but didn't respond, continuing to gaze at him steadily. "Well, as you say, I have a job for you that I think you'll find interesting. There is a boy by the name of Ichigo Kurosaki. I want you to find out everything you possibly can about him." There was another long silence as Naoto turned over his proposition, struggling to contain her sudden irritation.

"I am a detective, sir, not a babysitter – that aside, I fail to see how investigating some boy is in any way, as you put it, supernatural or relevant," she said, tone cold.

"Ah, you misunderstand me," Igor replied.

"Explain, then," she said flatly, prepared to walk out if Igor's answer did not satisfy her. The man smiled thinly.

"Ichigo Kurosaki is the key to solving a truth that has long remained hidden. Seventeen months ago," a strange shadow passed over Naoto's face, "Our friend, Ichigo Kurosaki, did something. I'm not quite sure _what _it was, exactly, as I was occupied with other… events at the time. But whatever it was, the magnitude of it has changed… everything." Naoto arched an eyebrow.

"You're not being very specific," she said.

"It's because there's a lot I don't know – that's why I want you to investigate the boy. Find out what he did and who he is." Naoto frowned, considering what Igor had told her – not that it was much.

"I need time to think this over," Naoto finally said.

"I'm afraid that isn't an option. This is a once in a lifetime thing. Take this job now, or I'll rescind my offer. The truth doesn't wait to be found, you know." Naoto jerked her head to stare at Igor, eye's wide.

_He… did he say that on purpose? _she thought, feeling as though she'd just been punched in the stomach. Igor's smiling visage gave nothing away.

"Even if I agreed… what would I do about school?" she eventually said, concealing to the best of her abilities the fact that he had shaken her. Igor chuckled again.

"I suppose the most convenient solution would be for you to attend Karakura High School as a transfer student. I have arranged lodgings for you if you do agree."

_Grampa wouldn't like it, _Naoto thought with a frown. _But he would probably accept my decision to move here if I say it's for a case. _Unsettled, she looked back at Igor. He smiled mischievously.

"I…" Naoto began. Her mind quickly sorted through all her options, analyzing the pros and cons of refusing Igor's offer.

_This is your chance, _whispered a voice in Naoto's mind, _a chance to leave your shadow behind in Inaba. _Naoto made her decision.

"Very well. I accept your request."

"Excellent," Igor said briskly. "Margaret, please give Shirogane-san the file on Ichigo Kurosaki. It will have all the information we know about him in it." The blonde woman, Margaret, wordlessly produced a manila folder from the filing cabinet. Naoto tucked it under her arm.

"Is there anything else I should know?" she inquired stiffly, unable to resist the feeling that she had been backed into a corner. Igor thought for a moment, and then smiled.

"Actually, yes. I have a gift for you – consider it an act of goodwill, to help you during the investigation." Igor reached into his desk, pulling out something shiny and silver.

"Oh." Margaret gasped softly.

It was a gun.

"This is called an evoker," Igor said, handing the weapon to Naoto. "It doesn't function in a… conventional manner, but if you can figure out how to use it, it will be very… helpful." Naoto examined the gun with a critical eye.

"Are you saying it's broken?" Naoto asked skeptically; it seemed to be in fine working condition.

"No, it works splendidly," Igor said with a wide grin. "It just serves a different function in comparison to other guns."

"And that function would be…?" Naoto asked, not expecting an answer. Igor didn't fail to disappoint.

"It's not something I should say, but something you should find out," Igor said, his smile seeming to become a smirk. "Just… follow your instincts, and I'm sure you'll know what to do."

_-x-x-x-_

_They were on the rooftop of the school, sharing lunch. He was reclining lazily against a wall when Naoto asked her question._

"_How is it that you're such a good leader?"_

"… _What?" He sat up to look at her, and Naoto flushed slightly._

"_I've been wondering about your leadership abilities lately. I… I consider us very similar, especially in intelligence – not to sound condescending – but I am unafraid to admit that you have this, this quality that sets us apart, that makes you such a good… leader." The usually prim detective found herself floundering under his gentle, curious gaze. After a moment of consideration, he smiled warmly._

"_Are you complimenting me?" Naoto sighed._

"_Your transparent efforts to change the subject won't work. Please answer the question." His smile faded slightly as he realized how serious Naoto was, and then became thoughtful._

"_I don't know, I've never really thought about it. I guess… instinct, maybe? There are these times when I just get a feeling about something, and suddenly know what to do or say. So yeah, I'd say instinct." Naoto turned over his answer for a moment._

"_I suppose that is satisfactory. Although instinct is such an intangible, unreliable emotion. Logic is a much more practical recourse."_

"_But logic can't do everything," he countered. "It can't fight Shadows or explain the TV world, or even Teddie."_

"_But instinct can't always do what you just described, either," Naoto said. "Not only that, but something as uncertain as a basic, primal instinct can drive you further from the truth of a matter – for example, if you're angry, you give in to the base instinct to hurt something, when logically it might not always be the best recourse." He considered her reply for a moment, seeming pensive, and then smiled._

"_You could be right. It's probably best to use logic to find the truth of a matter, and that's the most important thing, yeah? Finding the truth?"_

_To be continued…_

**_Author's Note:_**Good? Bad? Decent? Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I plan to update regularly every Monday from now on, so make sure to check to check back then. =)

_**Return of the Thief**, _out.


	3. Chapter Two

**Memento Mori**

Ichigo Kurosaki woke up without a shred of desire to go to school that day. He lay in his bed for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling.

_17 months, _he thought dully, _over a year and a half since I lost my powers –_

"Ichigoooo!" shouted a familiar voice as the strawberry's father, Isshin Kurosaki, charged into the room. Reacting out of instinct, Ichigo rolled out of bed so that his dad face-planted into the still warm covers.

"You moron," Ichigo said with an irritable shake of his bright orange hair. He turned away as Isshin struggled to sit up and began to assemble his school uniform.

"Well! I'm glad to see you've remained sharp as ever, my son! I'm quite proud!" said his father happily. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Get out of my room. I'm getting dressed." _Some things never change._ Minutes later Ichigo was in the kitchen, where Karin and Yuzu were already eating breakfast.

"Hey, Ichi-nii," Karin said, looking bored as usual.

_I wonder what it's like for Karin, being the new high end spiritualist of our family, _Ichigo thought, shoving aside the stab of jealousy.

"Hey, Karin –" he started to say, only to be interrupted by Yuzu.

"Ichigo! What do you think of my uniform?" she asked, adorable with her hair in pig-tails. She gave a little twirl for emphasis. Ichigo gave her an apathetic once over.

"Your zipper is open," he said dully. Yuzu squealed and turned away to fix the embarrassing problem.

"Son! How could you be so cruel to your little sister!" bellowed Isshin from across the room. Having gained his vitality back remarkably quickly, he charged full speed at Ichigo.

"Would you lay off already, old man?" Ichigo snapped irritably; he was not in the mood to deal with his eccentric family this morning. Side-stepping his father, Ichigo grabbed Isshin's arm, and slammed him into the ground. Isshin lay there for a moment, flat on his back, completely winded.

"Don't hurt him too bad, Ichi-nii," Karin said absentmindedly as Yuzu gaped in horror.

"Yeah, what if you'd killed me?" Isshin said, voice wheezy.

"Gee, I dunno. Maybe you'd go to Soul Society or something," Ichigo said darkly, effectively killing the mood. Karin glanced up at him, concern glinting in her dark eyes, and Yuzu bit her lip. Isshin just blinked stupidly.

"Oh yea – sneak attack!" He tackled the startled Ichigo.

"Get. _Off_!" Ichigo said, throwing Isshin to the side with some modicum of difficulty. Isshin bounced to his feet and flashed Ichigo a thumbs up, looking pleased.

"Excellent recovery, my son, I've surely taught you everything I – where are you going?" he asked as Ichigo angrily grabbed his briefcase and a piece of toast.

"School," Ichigo said shortly, storming out of the house. He strode quickly down the streets and was several blocks away before his simmering anger died down, to be replaced by reason and even a bit of shame.

_There's no point in getting so angry over that idiot, _he thought with a sigh, sticking his hands in his pockets. _And I probably upset Yuzu and Karin. I'll apologize when I get home after school._

"Kurosaki-kun~!" Ichigo stopped and turned at the sound of his name, blinking as his friend Orihime Inoue ran up to him, bubbly smile in place.

"Inoue-san… what's up?" Ichigo said as the large-busted ginger approached. Orihime blushed slightly before reaffixing her smile.

"Nothing much! I just saw you walking by yourself and thought you looked in need of some company." Ichigo hesitated and then returned her smile with one of his own.

"Thanks, Inoue," Ichigo said and Orihime blushed a brighter red than before.

"I-it's no problem, Kurosaki-kun. Would you mind if I brought you some bread after school?"

"Sure, no problem." Ichigo shrugged. The two resumed their walk to school, making idle talk along the way, and arrived to homeroom together.

"Man, it seriously sucks that Golden Week is over. I am not looking forward to – Ichigoooooo!" said the class idiot, Keigo Asano, breaking off his conversation to race toward Ichigo as the orange-haired teen entered through the doorway.

_I swear I'm a magnet for morons, _Ichigo deadpanned mentally, calmly clothes-lining his friend.

"Oh! Asano-san, are you all right?" Orihime was alarmed by the sight of Keigo lying sprawled on the ground. "What happened, did you trip?" Ichigo sweat dropped at the reaction of his somewhat ditzy friend.

"Wait a minute! Why did Kurosaki and Hime-san enter homeroom – together?" Chizuru's glasses flashed as she sprang to her feet. Tatsuki, who had been talking to Chizuru, rolled her eyes.

"Dunno; can't be because they're friends or anything," Tatsuki said sarcastically. Chizuru scowled, looking murderous, and completely ignored the other girl.

"I'm keeping an eye on you," she told Ichigo, tone icy, who just gave her a weird look.

_Man, everyone's acting up today. Must be the return from the holidays,_he thought before catching Ishida's eye. The dark-haired, bespectacled teen was on the opposite end of the room, already in his desk and seeming more serious than ever.

"'Sup, Ishida?" Ichigo walked over to greet him. The other male primly pushed up his glasses.

"Kurosaki. I'm fine, if a little tired. How was your Golden Week?" Ichigo shrugged in response, and Ishida smirked. "Eloquent as ever, I see."

"Oh shut up," Ichigo said. At that moment the homeroom teacher came in, followed closely by a short, slender young man that instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"All right, all right, everyone settle down and take a seat. As you can see, we have a new student in our class." The boy said nothing, his eyes cast in shadow by the newsboy cap atop his head. Ishida straightened at the sight of him, a strange look crossing his face. He wasn't the only one – Chizuru, who had been staring at Orihime, was now gaping at the boy, a mixture of horror and something else intermingled within her expression. Once everyone was in a desk, the teacher smiled.

"I'm sure you'll be pleased to know we have a new transfer student joining our ranks today by the name of Naoto Shirogane." There was ripple in the room as many recognized the name, and Ichigo furrowed his brow.

_He looks familiar…_he thought, sitting up somewhat. However, Ichigo couldn't quite place where he'd seen the boy.

"Greetings," Naoto said with an inclination of his head, "I am Naoto Shirogane. It is a pleasure to make all your acquaintances." The teacher looked at Naoto with admiration.

"Some of you may remember a series of murders that took place in the nearby country town of Inaba awhile back. Shirogane-san here is a genius detective, and had a hand in apprehending the culprit." The class murmured their appreciation as Naoto's face darkened.

_Huh. I don't remember ever hearing about that, _Ichigo thought. Then again, he'd never cared much about the news, especially back then, when he was still a _shinigami_. Ichigo forced himself to pay attention again, as thoughts about his past invariably made him want to punch something.

"Very well, Shirogane-san, you can sit by Kurosaki," said the teacher. Naoto nodded and walked to his new seat.

"Salutations," he said to Ichigo. "It's rather strange that we're meeting again, agreed?" Ichigo blinked; Naoto had an oddly formal way of speaking that was reminiscent of the way Toshiro talked.

"Uh, what?" he said.

"I asked you for directions to that abandoned mansion the other day," Naoto said seriously.

_Oh yeah… I thought he was familiar, _Ichigo thought. Before he could respond, Ishida abruptly stood up and left the room with a muttered apology to the teacher. Everyone was excited about Naoto's appearance, however, and few noticed. Ichigo saw, however.

_Is he going to fight Hollows? _Ichigo wondered, fighting back a mix of emotions. Naoto, who also noted Ishida's abrupt departure, raised an eyebrow.

"He seems to be in a hurry," he remarked and Ichigo started.

"Huh? Oh, you mean Ishida. He probably just went to the bathroom or something," Ichigo said, distracted by his nostalgia. Naoto gazed at him steadily for a moment, and then looked away.

Meanwhile, in the back of the class, Chizuru was struggling with a conflict of feelings, unable to take her eyes off of Naoto, a dull blush creeping up her cheeks.

_This feeling…_she thought, struggling to stave off her horror, _It couldn't be that I have a crush on… on a… on a _boy_?_

_-x-x-x-_

Ishida still wasn't back by the time school ended.

Ichigo tried not to think about it.

As he walked out of class, a crowd of eager students surrounded Naoto, bombarding the young detective with various questions.

_Sucks to be that guy, _Ichigo thought absently. _He seems like the type who would hate to get all that attention, too. _He pushed open the door to the school grounds, right as his cell phone started ringing. Ichigo flipped it open with a sigh.

"Yo."

"It's about time you answered your phone, you damn moron!" It was Ichigo's boss, Ikumi Unagiya.

_Shit. She must still be pissed that I missed work last week for my contract with the soccer club, _Ichigo realized as he left the school grounds and began heading home.

"I was in school. I'd get in trouble if I kept my phone on, never mind answering it in class."

"Yeah, well, you better show up today," Ikumi said heatedly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try," Ichigo replied, rubbing his temples.

"'Try' isn't good enough, dammit! I want a promise!"

"Would you stop riding me? Maybe I'll just quit –!"

"_Kurosaki_!" Ichigo blinked and looked up to see a gang of young men dressed in black standing several feet away. They were all glowering at him, and several wielded chains, knives, or both.

"I'll talk to you later," Ichigo said, hanging up before Izumi could protest. He then drew himself up to his full, impressive height and glared. "What?" The leader, a large, beefy man, cracked his knuckles.

"You beat up one of our bros the other day, and we don't like it when punks like you mess with members of the _Miya-Kou_ gang." He leered at Ichigo, who glowered back, unimpressed.

_Oh yeah, I kicked some mugger's ass a couple days ago, _Ichigo recalled with a smirk. He put his phone back in his pocket.

"If you want to fight, I won't hold back." Ichigo figured he might as well warn them. It was only fair, after all. The leader's face turned an interesting puce color, enraged by Ichigo's perceived insolence.

"Get him!" They all charged, yelling and wildly waving their weapons about. To Ichigo, it was as though they were running in slow motion. He ducked the first punch, socking the offender in the stomach. Then he made a smooth turn and struck the oncoming gang leader in the face, so hard that there was a sickening _crack _as the man fell backward, blood pouring down his face.

"Goro-sama!" said one of the members, voice strangled. He then let out a strident cry of rage and attempted to stab Ichigo with his knife. The strawberry easily grabbed the gang member's wrist, breaking it with one swift flick, before ducking away from the whistle of a chain that passed centimeters over his head.

In that moment Ichigo became alive, more exhilarated in those five or so minutes than he had been in 17 months. He was an orange-haired beast, a whirl of unstoppable, untouchable energy. He pranced away from every attack, and no matter how hard the gang tried to use their numbers to their advantage, Ichigo always came out unscathed.

_Even if I can't do much, at least I can do this, _Ichigo thought with satisfaction as he slugged someone in the face.

"Stop this fighting immediately." It was a new voice, cold and authoritative; the sound of the law. Everyone instinctively froze, slowly turning to face the new arrival. It was Naoto, looking small and even slightly ridiculous for issuing such an order – until one took into account the handheld gun he had, pointed directly at the group of brawlers.

"Holy shit, that kid has an actual gun," said one of the gang members, sporting a rather fine split lip. No one dared to move, afraid that Naoto would fire at any moment.

"I suggest you evacuate the premise," Naoto said coolly. "And I also suggest you stay away. Next time I won't be so lenient as to let you go." There was silence for several long moments.

"Let's get out of here," Goro finally said, voice thick due to his broken nose. The _Miya-Kou _gang slunk away, those still conscious carting off the rest of the members. Ichigo was left standing there, regarding Naoto warily, blood dripping down his knuckles. Naoto tucked his gun back under his school uniform and walked over to Ichigo.

"Are you hurt?" he said. Ichigo cautiously straightened.

"I'm fine. Where did you get that gun?" he asked incredulously.

"My status as a detective allowed me to apply for weapon ownership, and my family name pulled some strings to handle the rest." Ichigo just stared at Naoto for a long moment.

"I would've been fine on my own," he said gruffly.

"So it would seem," Naoto observed, voice dry. Before Ichigo could reply, a van came squealing into view, and out burst a dark haired, older woman.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you are going to work whether you like it or not," she shouted, causing the ex-_shinigami _to pale.

_Oh crap, _he thought, stepping away in preparation to run. However, Ikumi was far too quick for him, grabbing Ichigo and throwing the teen into her van in an impressive display of strength. She then leapt into the driver's seat and took off, wheels screeching in protest.

Naoto watched them leave with a strange expression on his face, hand twitching back to his gun.

_-x-x-x-_

"Hey, Ichigo! Look, I got an A on my test!" Yuzu said happily as her exhausted brother walked into the Kurosaki residence. Her eyes sparkled, silently pleading for Ichigo to shower her with praise. He paused, appraised Yuzu for a moment, and then grinned.

"Great job, Yuzu! I'm proud of you." Ichigo surprised the girl with a rough hug. "By the way, I'm sorry for losing my temper this morning." Then he let go and walked up to his room. Yuzu stared after him, expression crumpling into one of pain and sadness.

"Ichigo…" she said softly. Upstairs, Ichigo collapsed on his bed, a wave of fatigue rolling over him.

_I wonder if Ishida is still out there. _Ichigo felt a flash of white-hot anger. _That idiot; he better not do anything to draw Soul Society's attention to him. _The anger quickly died away, to be replaced by something akin to jealousy. Ishida had once lost his powers as well, but now he was a _Quincy_ again, and Ichigo couldn't sense even a shred of spiritual pressure.

"It's not fair," Ichigo muttered, venting his frustrations by punching the nearby, hapless pillow. "I saved everyone. I should be happy. There's no reason to mope about like an idiot." But the words sounded hollow to Ichigo's ears, and only made him angrier.

_I don't deserve this, _he thought savagely. _How am I supposed to protect the people I care about if I can't even see them? _Images of his friends in Soul Society flashed through his head; Renji, Ikakku, Hanataro, _Rukia_…

Then the anger drained away, leaving Ichigo feeling more tired and listless than ever. He pressed his face into his covers and sighed deeply.

_I'll… I'll get my powers back somehow. I'm sure there's a way – Dad managed it, after all, _he comforted himself. However, the question that had haunted Ichigo starting 17 months ago resurfaced within his mind, making him writhe in discomfort.

_What if I never get my powers back? Or even if I eventually do… what if it's too late?_

Too late for what, Ichigo didn't know.

_To be continued…_

**_Author's Note:_**Just to clarify, Chizuru is a relatively minor character with a blatant crush on Orihime. I thought it would be an amusing bit of irony if she developed a crush on Naoto as well, since no one knows Naoto is a girl yet. Just thought I'd get that out there. :)

_**Return of the Thief,**_out.


	4. Chapter Three

**Memento Mori**

The apartment was plain and simple in appearance, a Spartan-like air to its whitewashed rooms. It was western-styled with a bedroom, kitchen, and living room. The living room contained a couch, a small TV, and a table to eat on.

_Home sweet home, _Naoto thought with a wry smile. She pulled off her jacket and hat, carefully hanging them up in the closet, before unbuckling her gun and holster. She set her weapon on the table before walking into her room to grab the folder on Ichigo Kurosaki that Igor had given her.

"All right, let's review the information," Naoto said aloud. She felt a strong stab of nostalgia at that, as memories of a time long past resurfaced – days when she sat around a Junes food market table with her friends to discuss a murder of the strangest kind. Naoto shook her head, dislodging the encumbering memories, and idly began flicking through Ichigo's files. She skimmed the majority of it; she'd already memorized most of its contents.

_He's a third year at Karakura High School. He has two younger sisters, twins, and a father who runs a private clinic. His mother is deceased. He's very athletic, playing a variety of sports, and gets good grades, although he was often absent from school as a first year. He has a part time job at Unagiya's Odd Job shop._

Naoto rifled through the medical records and miscellaneous files, such as who hung out with Ichigo, before briefly wondering how Igor had obtained all this information.

_Pay attention, Naoto, _she scolded herself, returning to the task at hand. _Now, what have I learned from my observations of Kurosaki? _She collected her thoughts, found a pencil and spare piece of paper, and began to write everything down.

_He seems very pensive. Possibly suffers from mild depression. Also extremely aggressive – fought off an entire gang by himself. Possibly bipolar? _Naoto paused, reflecting how, despite everything the gang tried, they couldn't even touch Ichigo. The look on his face had scared her, forced her to draw her gun (but that was ridiculous, a facial feature couldn't cause that kind of reaction)… he wore an expression of raw, uncontained, untapped energy, reminding her of… _Very good fighter. _She underlined it twice, and then looked over everything she'd written.

"Not much to go on," Naoto said, running a hand through her hair.

_Then again, it's only been one day, _she thought. Reading through everything again, Naoto frowned.

"I wonder why he was absent so often during his first year…" Naoto looked at the medical records again, and found that Ichigo was extremely healthy.

_So it isn't due to illness. And his mother's death occurred years ago, so that couldn't be the cause, could it? _His attendance record before his first year in high school, and as a second year and beyond, was nearly perfect, although he'd gotten into a lot of fights during junior high. So then what…?

_This could be the key, _Naoto thought. _The key to figuring this all out… if only I knew _what _I was trying to figure out. I can't help but feel like I'm missing an extremely important piece to the puzzle. _It actually reminded her of when she first started the serial murder case in Inaba; she'd figured out fairly quickly all the people who'd died or fit the pattern and had been kidnapped appeared on the media. But she hadn't been able to figure out how that connected to the case until after she'd been thrown into the TV. Naoto sighed, pressed her head into her hands.

"There's not much more to go over. I'll ask around about Ichigo tomorrow," Naoto said.

_Hopefully I'll figure something out from Kurosaki's friends… although once I start asking question, it won't be long until he realizes I'm investigating him. _Still, it couldn't be helped. Naoto needed more personal information on Ichigo before she could draw any conclusions. Although once more, Naoto couldn't help but wonder if Igor was somehow playing a sick joke on her.

Standing up, Naoto walked over to the kitchen to make some food, but was stopped by the sight of her gun lying on the table. She made her way toward it, picked it up and examined the silver filigree and inlaid, flowing words; evoker.

_It's a good thing those thugs were scared off by the mere sight of the gun, if there is any truth to what Igor said about this evoker, _she thought, turning it over. It felt heavy and solid. Opening it, she checked the ammunition, only to receive a shock; there was none.

"How peculiar," Naoto said, softly. The impulse to pull the trigger nearly overwhelmed her, but she quickly wrestled the thought back into submission.

_I'm arguing with myself over whether or not to fire off a gun that has no ammunition, _she realized, gazing at the gun and feeling ludicrous. She ran a finger down the barrel, expression thoughtful.

_What could its purpose be? _She wondered, restraining her puzzlement with difficulty.

… _He was so far away, not just physically but mentally, a mesh metal fence erected as a barrier between the two._

"_Don't do this…" she said softly. He responded with a tender smile, tinged with regret._

"_I have to."_

The evoker fell out of her hand, clattering to the ground, as the grief hit her. It was like the levees that protected her stoic mind had broken under the pressure of her sorrow. The recollection hit Naoto so strongly, so unexpectedly, that every defense cracked and shattered, falling away to leave the detective unprotected.

Naoto staggered, gasped, stumbled. Her heart ached and her eyes threatened to fill with tears, which she valiantly fought back. The pain came roaring through her entire being, a tidal wave of destroyed dreams and unending regret.

_Why? Why now of all times? s_he thought, resisting the urge to cry out in distress. Naoto would not utter his name; she would not bow to this unrelenting torrent of emotion. She would persevere, as she always had. Moving slowly, painfully slowly, Naoto made her way into her room, where a stack of cardboard boxes waited to be unpacked. She shoved the bigger boxes aside, blindly shifting through the detritus until she found what she was looking for.

It was a long, slim package, rather heavy. Naoto ripped it open and drew out a huge, two-handed sword. She lifted it up into the air with some modicum of difficulty, gazing at it for a moment. Then the tip of the blade clattered to the ground as she pressed her forehead against the hilt, shoulders shaking.

_I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not… _Naoto told herself over and over again – a mantra to keep her together as the ugly, metaphorical beast ravaged her soul. It took several minutes, feeling more like hours, for Naoto to regain control of her emotions, for the wave of grief to subside.

Naoto took a deep, shuddering breath, briefly taking triumph in the fact that her eyes were dry. Dropping the sword, Naoto blindly groped for the cell phone that resided in her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Rise?" Her voice wavered slightly.

"N-Naoto? Is that you?" said Naoto's long time friend, alarmed. Naoto took another deep breath.

"I wished to converse with you," she said. There was a long pause.

"Okay, I just need to tell my manager to cancel my photo shoot."

"Oh… Rise, if you're busy –" Naoto started to say.

"Don't be silly," Rise interrupted with a giggle. "I'd rather talk to you than go to some boring ol' shoot, anyway."

"… Thank you." Naoto was abruptly filled with gratitude for her friend.

"No need to mention it," Rise said airily. "I'm going to put you on hold for a second to sort everything out." While Rise was busy, Naoto carefully put the sword back in its box, and slid it under her bed. Then Naoto sat on the mattress, missing her futon more than ever.

"I'm back! So what's up, Naoto?" Rise said.

"I have a new case," Naoto told her.

"Really? That's wonderful! How's it coming along?" Naoto almost, _almost _told Rise everything; she knew the idol would believe her about Igor, and it would be nice to discuss the matter with a former investigation member. But something held Naoto back.

"There have been some… complications, but it's not an issue," Naoto said. "I had to move to Karakura town to work on it, though."

"Really? Cool, I love that place! How is it so far?" It figured Rise would know about Karakura.

"Not bad, although it doesn't compare to Inaba," Naoto said with a smile. "However, sometimes… I can't help but feel like that's a good thing." The last part slipped out unintentionally, and she mentally cursed herself for the lapse.

"Naoto…" Rise's soft, consoling tone threatened to bring back the storm of Naoto's emotions, and she bit her lip in an effort to keep them at bay.

"Please, Rise, don't…" Naoto begged, voice cracking slightly at the end. "Let's not talk about this – tell me about your tour so far."

"If… if that's what you want," Rise said doubtfully, before plunging into an anecdote about one of her many crazy fans. Naoto was never so glad for Rise's friendship than at that moment, and silently praised whatever higher being that existed for giving her such an amazing friend.

_-x-x-x-_

School was much as Naoto anticipated the next day – hectic. Word had gotten around about the strange small town genius detective, not to mention there was a rumor that he happened to have a gun of all things. Therefore, when Naoto showed up at homeroom, she found herself surrounded once more by students, who asked her various questions. Naoto took a deep breath and tried to answer them all as cordially as possible.

"Oi, give the kid some space." Everyone scattered at the sight of Ichigo, looking annoyed, his bag slung over one shoulder.

"Thank you for that," Naoto said, trying not to feel resentful at being called a kid.

"Yeah, whatever. Don't mention it," he said with a shrug. They made their way to their seats, Naoto thinking quickly.

"How are you, by the way? I wasn't sure if I should've interfered when you were…" she trailed off. Ichigo stared at her uncomprehendingly for a moment.

"Oh, you mean my boss. Don't worry about it – she may be crazy, but she's not a bad person or anything." Naoto nodded, but couldn't say any more, as the teacher came in and started class.

_I wonder if I could befriend Kurosaki, and try to coax out the truth that way? _Naoto thought, lightly tapping her pencil on her desk. _I'm not exactly sociable, however… and he doesn't seem very agreeable, either._

After reflecting on the issue for several minutes, Naoto decided to stick with her original plan of asking around about Ichigo, and seeing what happened from there. Lunchtime came around, and Naoto stood up to head to the roof. Old habits die hard. She was accosted by a girl with bright red hair and glasses.

"I just wanted to let you know that… you… I," said the girl, face turning red as her hair as she spluttered incoherencies. Naoto gave her a concerned look.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked. The other girl turned beet red.

"You infuriate me!" she declared loudly before turning and running off in as melodramatic a fashion as possible. Naoto watched her go, truly baffled.

"Don't mind Chizuru, she's just suffered a severe blow to her gay pride," said a new voice. Naoto turned, recognizing the girl who had spoken immediately; Tatsuki Arisawa. Beside her was a buxom redhead. Orihime Inoue. Both were very good friends with Ichigo, according to Igor's file.

"I… see," Naoto said, deciding simultaneously to address Tatsuki and not ponder her previous statement too deeply. _I may never get such an opportune moment. _"Might I have the pleasure of your company for lunch? I do not know anyone very well yet, so it would be much appreciated." The two girls gave her quizzical looks, surprised, and Naoto shifted uncomfortably. "Of course, if it's an issue…"

"Not at all!" Orihime said, recovering first. "We'd love to eat with you, Shirogane-kun." Pleased, Naoto followed the duo to the roof, sociably answering all their questions.

"So what's it like, being a child detective?" Tatsuki asked as they all sat down and took out their lunches. Naoto bristled, unable to help herself.

"I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as a child, as I am almost eighteen," she said stiffly.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," Tatsuki said with an easy going smile. She reminded Naoto somewhat of Chie – and Orihime seemed a little like Yukiko, although much more outgoing and cheerful. In spite of herself, Naoto found she truly enjoyed their company.

"Oh! Naoto-kun! Would you like to try some of my lunch?" Orihime asked after several minutes of idle chatter. Tatsuki blanched, shaking her head vehemently behind Orihime's back.

"Erm… thank you, Inoue-san, but I'm not particularly hungry," Naoto said, taking Tatsuki's hint.

"Oh, okay," Orihime said, looking so crestfallen that Naoto felt as though she'd just kicked a lost puppy. "I guess no one will try my brown sugar bread with miso soup then…" Naoto and Tatsuki exchanged bemused glances, struggling to hide their shared amusement.

"Hey, you guys." The trio turned, and Orihime's downtrodden expression instantly vanished.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she said, overjoyed. "How are you?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the sight of Naoto, but directed his answer to Orihime.

"Fine, I guess," he started to say.

"Ichigo! Get over here!" yelled one of Ichigo's friends, on the other end of the roof. He hesitated and then sighed.

"Later." As Ichigo walked away, Tatsuki and Orihime traded worried glances.

_Now's as good a time as any, _Naoto thought, thankful for the blatant opportunity.

"Is he all right?" Naoto asked, cocking her at the other girls. They both hesitated, faces unreadable.

"It… it's complicated. He wasn't always like this, but…" Tatsuki finally said. "Well, let's just say that Ichigo's been through a lot of stuff."

"Family troubles?" Naoto guessed, probing for a hint of any kind. Orihime looked away, and Tatsuki frowned.

"Sorta. Look, it's not really any of our business," Tatsuki seemed uneasy.

"I understand." Naoto didn't press the issue any further.

_-x-x-x-_

_This isn't going to work, _Naoto thought.

It was several hours after school, and she had just left Keigo Asano. She'd been asking him questions concerning Ichigo, and his answers had been pretty much the same as everyone else's; Ichigo had been out of sorts lately, and there wasn't much that could be done about it. Naoto had alluded to Ichigo's frequent absences a year and a half prior, but either the person became suspicious at that point, or didn't have an answer.

"I need some sort of clue as to what he was _doing_," Naoto said aloud, not yet frustrated, but close.

_Maybe I can get something out of Igor, _she thought, determined to question the old man until something slipped loose. So now Naoto was heading to the old mansion, contemplating the enigma that was Ichigo Kurosaki.

_He's very mature for his age. _It was one of the first things Naoto had noticed about the strawberry. _Although that could be due to a variety of factors…maybe I should try talking to his family to discern the cause. _She could even use his tendency toward delinquency as a reason to question the rest of the Kurosaki family. As Naoto brainstormed and went over her options with a fine tooth comb, she came upon the mansion, and forced herself back to the present.

"Right," she said, flicking up her cap. "I'd best –"

_Wham._

Naoto was hit in the chest so hard that she was sent flying. Her hat flew off her head as Naoto crashed into the ground, thoroughly winded.

_W-what was –? _Before Naoto could process what happening, an invisible _something _grasped her by the midriff. It felt like a massive hand, cold and calloused. Naoto's stomach lurched as she was picked up by the unseen force so that she was floating in mid air. She struggled weakly, but its iron grip merely tightened, causing her vision to turn spotty.

_Is it all over…?_

Unaccountably, Naoto felt a strange sense of relief at the idea that this could very well be the end.

Then there was a flash of vivid blue light, and Naoto thought she detected an animalistic cry of pain. Suddenly Naoto was falling, and she crashed into the ground, again, with a painful _thud._ Naoto briefly blacked out as something metallic-tasting filled her mouth – she'd bitten her tongue as her head banged against the ground.

"Are you okay?" asked a soothing voice, accompanied by a cool hand. Naoto groaned and slowly opened her eyes to see Uryuu Ishida.

_To be continued…_

**_Author's Note:_ **A bit shorter than the previous chapter, but it's something of a set up for thigns to come. Actually, these first ten chapters or so could be considered a set up to the main plot of the story, as I want to establish the character dynamics before anything else happens. Also, I hope Naoto's meltdown was portrayed okay - it was something that played out like an image in my head, and was therefore hard to transcribe into words. Enjoy and please review~ =)

_**Return of the** **Thief,** _out.


	5. Chapter Four

**Memento Mori**

Minami's Coffee Shop was a pleasant place of warm brown tones, the scent of ground coffee beans permanently hanging about the atmosphere. Uryuu Ishida took a sip of his drink, savoring its bitterness, and then glanced at his watch.

_They're late, _he thought disapprovingly, pushing up his glasses. Several minutes later, the door banged open, and in came Yasutora "Chad" Sado. The massive, half-Latino man made his way gracefully over to Ishida, ignoring the stares of other customers.

"Don't you want anything to drink?" Ishida asked, appraising his friend.

"No thanks." Chad shook his head before looking around. "Where's Orihime?"

"I'm not sure," Ishida said with a sigh, "but she's probably handing out spare bread to some unsuspecting bystander." A smile cracked Chad's granite-like façade, and the two spent several minutes in companionable silence. Then Orihime showed up, a whirlwind of bubbly energy, giving Chad and Ishida bakery goods by the dozen, and happily ordering a vanilla latte.

"How is everyone?" she asked cheerfully once she finally settled down.

"We're fine, Orihime," Ishida said, impatient to begin. "However, I called you two together because I wanted to discuss Shirogane-san, and what he wants with Kurosaki." Orihime instantly became serious, and Chad seemed more thoughtful than ever.

"He has a strange _reiatsu_," Chad said in his slow, deep voice.

"You both noticed it as well?" Ishida asked.

"Yeah." Orihime nodded. "His spiritual power isn't exactly what I'd call powerful, but it's different from anything I've ever felt before."

"It has potential," Chad said solemnly.

"I agree. There's something strange about Shirogane-san. I can't quite put my finger on it; his fascination with Kurosaki doesn't help matters, either."

"Did he ask both of you about Ichigo as well?" Chad asked, looking curious.

"Yup!" Orihime puffed out her cheeks. "I didn't really think about it at the time, though. It was only after I heard Shirogane-kun asked other people about Kurosaki-kun that I began to wonder."

"…I saved him from a Hollow the other day," Ishida said quietly. Both Orihime and Chad gave him sharp looks.

"A Hollow attacked Shirogane-kun? Is he okay?" Orihime cried. Ishida said nothing for a few seconds, expression distant as the past hit him full force.

"_Are you alright?" Ishida asked, looking down at the collapsed boy. Naoto glanced up at him with brilliant blue eyes. It was several minutes before the boy could form the proper words to speak._

"_I… what happened?" he asked, taking Ishida's outstretched hand._

"_I'm not sure," Ishida lied, "I just saw you lying on the ground and came over to see if you were okay." Naoto threw him a skeptical look, wincing slightly with pain as he stood up. "Maybe you should go get checked out at the hospital."_

"_Don't be ridiculous," Naoto scoffed, moving slowly over to where his hat lay. Although he hid his pain well, Ishida could tell the other boy was hurting considerably. Or, at the very least, he was quite sore. "I'm sure it's nothing urgent."_

"_I don't know…" Ishida said._

"_I'm fine, Ishida-san. Unless you have something of importance to tell me," he scrutinized Ishida with piercing blue eyes, "I believe I will thank you and hurry home." Ishida said nothing, simply regarded Naoto for a split second, and then nodded._

"_Very well."_

"I believe Shirogane-san is fine, if a little bruised," Ishida finally said, answering Orihime's query. "However, I don't doubt that he's rather confused, and curious about what happened concerning the Hollow attack. Which brings me to my next point; I don't believe Shirogane-san can see Hollows. That means," Ishida lowered his voice, "that he's probably unaware of the fact that Kurosaki used to be a _shinigami_. I don't know why else he'd be interested in him, though." There was silence as they all contemplated what Ishida had just said.

"We should keep an eye on them, wait and see," Chad said. Ishida nodded, pushing up his glasses.

"I agree. I'm not quite sure what is going on with Shirogane-san, but as it pertains to Kurosaki, I'm sure it will lead to nothing but trouble."

"Should we tell Kurosaki-kun about all this?" Orihime asked, troubled. Chad and Ishida exchanged glances, and after a moment, Ishida shook his head.

"No, it'll be better if Kurosaki doesn't know. Otherwise, he'll try to do something stupid, and until we know who – or what – Shirogane-san is, it'll be best not to involve Kurosaki while he's in this powerless state."

_-x-x-x-_

Naoto lay sprawled on the bed, every inch of her body still sore from yesterday. Her mind, however, was moving at a hundred miles-per-hour. Over and over again, Naoto's memory replayed the scene outside Igor's mansion, as she fretted over it for what felt like the millionth time.

_Something attacked me… _Naoto thought. _The question is, what? _She sighed and rolled over, grimacing as her body protested the movement. It had been something invisible, Naoto was sure of that; she'd been staring at thin air when whatever it was had hoisted her up into the sky.

_And that blue light, _Naoto thought, brow furrowed. _Whatever it was, it drove off the thing that attacked me._ But the biggest mystery of all was Uryuu Ishida. Naoto didn't know much about him, other than the fact that he was a friend of Ichigo's, but it couldn't have been a coincidence that he'd conveniently shown up when he had. Could it?

_This all comes back to Kurosaki, _Naoto thought, somewhat surprised by the strength of her resolution. _I don't know how, but there's a connection between what happened this afternoon and that man. _More determined than ever to figure out what the hell was going on, Naoto reviewed her facts.

Something had happened 17 months ago concerning Ichigo. Whatever it was, Naoto could bet her detective's badge that there was a relation between the unknown event and Ichigo's subsequent depression. How Ishida and the unseen aggressor tied in, Naoto wasn't certain.

_I'm missing a factor, _Naoto realized. _The… the something that explains this mystery, that ties it all together. _At that point Naoto's stomach grumbled loudly, interrupting her train of thought.

_I should probably eat something, _Naoto thought with a wry smile. She got up and stretched, wincing as her body rebelled against the movement. Moving gingerly, Naoto made her way to the kitchen, where an unpleasant surprise awaited.

"I'm out of food." Naoto was disappointed with herself.

_Of course. I haven't had a chance to go shopping._ She sighed and turned away, grabbing her hat and coat from the closet.

"I suppose I'll just eat out," Naoto said, clipping Igor's evoker to her belt. She wasn't sure why she preferred to bring the evoker, as opposed to her usual handheld gun. Naoto supposed it was because the evoker made her feel at ease – like she was greeting an old friend or something.

_That's strange, _Naoto thought, startled, _why would I think of a gun as a… friend? _She puzzled over her mind's diction for a moment, and then shrugged it off. Naoto left her apartment, savoring the warm May air as she meandered her way to the shopping district, working out the kinks in her body as she went. Naoto pushed the Kurosaki case aside for the moment, eager to enjoy the beautiful evening. She'd worry more about it when she got home.

_Home. _Already Naoto's apartment felt more familiar to her than the Shirogane estate, where nothing but sadness and the long-lost past haunted her. In fact, the only 'relic' of Inaba Naoto had elected to bring with her was _his _sword…

_Never mind that, _Naoto scolded herself, gut clenching in pain. She stepped into a narrow alley that she'd heard was a short cut to the shopping district, focusing her attention on less depressing subjects.

They came out of nowhere, swift and silent as death. Before Naoto quite knew what had happened, she was slammed into the ground, hat tumbling off her head for the second time in the span of two days. Her vision went spotty as her head hit the ground; when it cleared, Naoto found herself staring up at the broken and bruised face of Goro, leader of the _Miya-Kou, _who was currently leaning over her_._

"Hey there, little boy," he said, voice sounding strange due to his broken nose. His breath smelled of intoxicants, and something told Naoto this wasn't going to end well. "The _Miya-Kou _gang doesn't like it when wannabe cops interfere with gang business." He stood up, and Naoto was pulled to her feet – inciting pain in her sore muscles – by two grinning cronies, although the grins looked rather lopsided due to the injuries Ichigo had parceled out to them. Looking around, feeling calmer than she should, Naoto took stock of the situation. She was surrounded by _Miya-Kou_, all in varying degrees of bad shape.

_They must've decided to target me in order to enact their revenge, since Kurosaki proved not to be a feasible solution, _Naoto conjectured.

"See if he has his gun," Goro ordered with a smug smirk.

_Or they just want my gun, _Naoto thought drily, pushing down her apprehension. She was roughly shoved against the wall of the alley, and her evoker was swiftly located. The goon who discovered it handed the weapon to Goro, who lovingly ran his finger down the barrel.

"It will be impossible for you to get more ammunition," Naoto said, matter-of-fact. She didn't know why she didn't tell him the gun _had _no bullets – possibly because she wanted to see the look on the ignoramus' face when nothing happened if he tried to use it.

"Kick his ass," Goro replied, in way of an answer. Several of the _Miya-Kou _let out whoops of excitement; one punched Naoto square in the face as another kneed her stomach. She gasped, stars erupting across her line of vision, and was shoved roughly to the ground. They fell upon her like wolves, with howls of joy and barks of laughter as their kicks and punches rained down on her unprotected, already bruised body. She curled up into the fetal position, shielding her head and neck to the best of her ability.

_I have to protect the most sensitive parts,_ she thought, gritting her teeth against the pain. Naoto wasn't sure how long the beating lasted – whether it was one minute or one hour – but it seemed to stretch on into infinity. Several times she toyed with the idea of fighting back, as she was very proficient in self-defense, but Naoto doubted she would be able to take on this many men. And still the blows came down, although the pain seemed to dull as Naoto began to float away, swallowed up by a sea of dark fog…

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Pick 'em up." Finally the blessed command came, a ray of light piercing the unending blackness. Dazed and bloody, Naoto was hauled to her feet. Goro leered at her, before pointing the evoker directly at Naoto's face.

"I've only ever held a gun once before, little boy. I stole it from my old man. He was a cop, I'll have you know. The rush I got when I used it to blow his fucking brains out… I've never forgotten the feeling." Naoto spat blood at Goro's feet in reply, and the men holding her tittered.

"Seems like he's still got some spunk in him, eh, Goro-sama?" said one of them, laughing. Goro bared his lips into a perverse smile, revealing missing and broken teeth.

"Well, we'll soon fix that, eh, boys?" Goro said, lifting up the evoker and cocking it, causing Naoto to instinctively tense her muscles.

And then he fired the gun.

There was a loud retort, and Naoto felt something hot burn within her chest, just above her heart. Then she got extremely cold, so cold that goosebumps erupted all over her skin, as a low, sonorous voice sang within her mind.

_I am Thou. Thou art I. Acknowledge the One Truth, and the Path to me through the perilous fog will reopen._

And then Naoto was back in the dark, abandoned alleyway, blinking slowly as she gazed at Goro. After a stunned moment of gawping the man colored, looked at the evoker, and then threw it to the ground in abject rage.

"You little shit!" he shouted. "What kind of cop are you, that your goddamn gun doesn't even work?" He pulled a knife out from somewhere on his body, brandishing it at Naoto, murder burning in his piggish eyes.

"What the hell is going on here?" said a new voice. Naoto frowned and tried to focus her blurry vision, managing to make out the dim outline of a tall man with vibrant orange hair.

"K-Kurosaki!" said Goro, surprised and afraid.

"Shit, let's get out of here," said one of the _Miya-Kou _members, clearly uneager for a repeat of the day before. The gang scattered, leaving Goro standing there. He hesitated and then took off as well. Ichigo strode forward, a heavy scowl adorning his face.

"Bastards," he muttered, looking as though he wanted to chase after the fleeing gang. In the end, however, Ichigo walked over to Naoto and helped her to her feet.

"I'm fine…" Naoto protested weakly, wiping blood off her split lip.

"Yeah, right," Ichigo said with a scoff. "I'm taking you back to my old man's clinic." He attempted to sling her arm over his shoulder, but the discrepancy in height made it rather difficult.

"I can stand," Naoto said, pulling away, a faint blush of embarrassment staining her cheeks from their proximity. She stood woozily for a moment, and the world seemed to spin. Ichigo easily caught her when she stumbled.

"I don't think so. Here, I'll carry you on my back," Ichigo said. Naoto shook her head and then grimaced, regretting the motion.

"No, that won't be necessary –" she started to say, but Ichigo ignored her, hefting the girl onto his back. It was broad and warm, and Naoto instinctively scrabbled for purchase, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ichigo hooked her legs securely in the crook of his elbows, before taking several cautious steps forward.

"How does it feel?" he asked, concerned.

"… Fine," Naoto grudgingly admitted. Then, "Wait, my gun." Ichigo grunted in response and then headed over to where the evoker lay on the ground, forgotten by the gang in their terror.

"Hold on," he warned, leaning over as little as possible to pick it up. Then they were off, walking toward what Naoto presumed to be the Kurosaki clinic.

She rested her cheek on his shoulder, murmured, "You don't have to do this," and then drifted off into a pain tinged half-sleep.

_-x-x-x-_

"_What do you think happens when we die?"_

_She looked at him. He looked back._

"_I… do not know," she said, surprised by the sudden question. His eyes clouded over, and he glanced away._

"_I see."_

_-x-x-x-_

"_I think I want to become a detective."_

_She stared at him a moment, and then a smile broke out across her face._

"_Really? That would be excellent! Perhaps we could be partners?" She searched his face, hunting for his true thoughts, as he smiled._

"_Perhaps."_

_-x-x-x-_

"_It's just so, so… stupid!" He slammed his fist on the desk in frustration. She jumped slightly._

"_Calm yourself. No one ever said becoming a detective was easy."_

"_Like you would know," he said bitterly. She blinked, stunned by the vehemence in his tone._

"_Look…" she said, trying to sound soothing and failing miserably. Emotions had never been her strong suit. He sighed and pressed his forehead against his hands._

"_Sometimes I think I understand how Adachi felt," he said quietly. She started, stared, wondered if she'd misheard. He lifted his head to meet her gaze, grey eyes flat and Hollow._

_-x-x-x-_

"_Someone once told me that I'm like the number zero. I have unlimited possibilities, and yet in the end, I'm still empty."_

_-x-x-x-_

In the abandoned alleyway, Naoto's hat lay forlorn and forgotten.

_To be continued…_

**_Author's Note:_ **The next few chapters will be a bit on the short side, but I promise it will get long again after that. These are, as I've explained before, the transition chapters that set up the main plot of the story. I hope you enjoyed this and will give me your thoughts via review. :)

_Return of the Thief_, out.


	6. Chapter Five

There were only a few times in his life that Ichigo could recall feeling angrier than he did at that moment. It took all of his self-control not to go tearing off after the _Miya-Kou _gang and beat the living shit out of them. Again. But he had to get Naoto to the clinic, first and foremost.

_It's my fault. If it wasn't for that stupid fight… _Ichigo mentally cursed. Thinking about what might have happened if he hadn't heard the gunshot made the orange haired ex-_shinigami _go cold.

"How are you doing?" he asked over his shoulder, not wanting to hurt the young man. Ichigo was a little surprised by how light Naoto was; then again, the young detective was _tiny_. The boy made no answer, and Ichigo guessed him to be in some state of unconsciousness.

_It's not really surprising, _Ichigo thought, _considering the beating he took. _But dwelling on the recent events only made Ichigo want to hit something, so he focused his energies on getting to the clinic. The relief Ichigo felt when he rounded the bend and spotted his house was immense, and he moved as quickly possible, slamming the door open with his legs.

"Ichigo! What have I told you about being up past –?" Isshin started to say, having lain in wait for his son.

"Shut up, old man! This boy is hurting really friggin' bad, and he needs help," Ichigo said, brusquely cutting off his father. Isshin started, a strange look clouding his gaze as he located Naoto on Ichigo's back. Karin and Yuzu, who'd been sitting at the table, both stood up.

"Karin. Get me a bed. Yuzu, head over to the clinic and set everything up for me." Isshin's sudden reversal in temperament had scared Ichigo as a child, but now he found it comforting. The twins silently set about their duties, Yuzu shooting her brother concerned looks. Karin helped relieve Ichigo of his burden, and together they placed Naoto carefully onto the hospital bed Karin had wheeled in. He then sat down and took a shaky breath, watching as the young detective was carted off. Karin joined him moments later.

"Where did you get the gun, Ichi-nee?" Karin asked after a long period of pervading silence. Ichigo blinked, looked down at the gleaming silver weapon clenched in his hand. The word 'evoker' shone in the bright light of the living room.

"It's that boy's. Naoto's. He's a detective or part of the police force or something." Ichigo set the gun on the table. Karin didn't reply at first.

"You should take a shower, Ichi-nee, and wash your shirt; it's all bloody," she suggested. Ichigo looked at her with solemn amber eyes and then nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks, Karin." He stood up. Karin watched him go upstairs, dark eyes unreadable.

"Stupid," she mumbled under her breath, turning away.

_-x-x-x-_

The shower helped calm Ichigo down, although he felt no less anxious when he came back downstairs. His mind churned with a variety of different thoughts, concerning Naoto, the _Miya-Kou_, even himself and the _shinigami _powers he'd once possessed.

_It always seems to come back to my powers. _He gritted his teeth. _Every single time._

"How is he?" Ichigo asked, snapping to attention when his father finally appeared. Inwardly, he felt grateful for the distraction from his thoughts. Isshin paused, an odd look overcoming his facial expressions for a fleeting instant.

"He… is going to be fine. I treated him to the best of my abilities, although he was mangled pretty badly. The worst of his injuries were a couple cracked ribs, which I bandaged – about all I could do. He was beat up pretty badly, but he seems tough, so I'm sure he'll be okay." There was a brief pause. "What happened, Ichigo?"

"I… got into a fight with a gang the other day," Ichigo said, glancing away. "That boy, Naoto, is a detective I think, and got himself involved. The idiot!" He glowered at the kitchen wall, infuriated, before continuing. "Anyway, he got jumped tonight by that gang." Isshin didn't reply for awhile.

"It's not your fault this boy got hurt, son," he said, unusually gentle. Ichigo turned his blazing glare upon his father.

"Not my fault? What do you mean? If I was stronger…" _If I'd been there sooner, if I'd realized they'd go after him, if I still had my powers, if, if, if…_

"You saved this Naoto from the gang, didn't you? And he's going to be fine, right? I'd say strength isn't the issue here." Isshin's dark eyes were brooding. He reminded Ichigo of Karin in that moment.

"_You don't understand," _Ichigo wanted to say, although he knew Isshin did understand, better than anyone else, perhaps better than even himself.

So in the end he simply looked away.

_-X-X-X-_

It was so blue. There was a dark shadow rising, rising, with a long nose and blazing gold eyes and crooked fingers and a beautiful smile that had long since lost its true meaning…

A jagged flash of red, thick and glutinous, bubbling slowly out of the cracks in the floorboards. Two butterflies, one blue as the sky, the other dark as night, slowly danced in midair, forever intertwined.

"… _I had a dream today. A strange dream." He was playing with a rock, tossing it up and down in his hand. She tracked its progress, mesmerized by the trajectory._

"_What happened?" she asked, more out of a sense of duty than anything, because she'd never been one to put much stock in dreams._

"_I died," he said simply. She tore her gaze from his hand and the rock, locking her eyes onto his face._

"_What do you mean?" He looked faintly irritated._

"_I don't know. I just know I was dead. But I can't remember what happened afterward…" His brow furrowed. "I think there was a person. He… yes, he… wore some type of black and white clothing." She raised an eyebrow._

"_Fascinating. But you really shouldn't worry about something that originates from your subconscious," she said seriously. _

_He shrugged._

It hurt. The blood kept coming, flooding the room, turning it green. The moon hung in the sky, a sickly yellow. A small, humanoid silhouette was framed in its pale light. A hand touched her face, rough and yet gentle.

"Don't worry," said an unknown voice, "everything's going to be okay."

"_I'm so bored, Naoto." He looked at her with bright eyes. "Why is it that everything feels so boring?"_

"_Well, you did recently defeat a Goddess and recover a lost world," she said, ever practical. "I suppose returning to normal life after such an event would feel rather tame." He smiled._

"_I've missed you," he said, and she flushed._

"_I've missed you as well. It isn't the same without you." He didn't reply for a long moment._

"_Somehow I doubt it will be the same even with me," he said, voice glum._

A sharp intake of breath.

"You're a girl," said the voice, stunned. She reacted without thinking, grabbing the rough hand, pulling herself out of the sea of blood and blue. She surfaced, caught sight of a grizzled face and hardened eyes.

"Don't tell," she heard herself say, as though a stranger was speaking through her, "Please don't tell." And then she was submerged once more, into a world of broken dreams and tainted memories.

"_Don't do this." He looked at her solemnly._

"_I have to."_

"_No, you don't. Come here." Desperation began to creep into her voice. "I need you here. With me." He hesitated._

"_Don't you want to join me? Don't you want to know the truth?" She paused, considered what he was saying for half a heartbeat._

"_Maybe. But not like this. Not here. Not now."__He didn't reply right away, gazing at her with pale silver eyes. He raised a hand as though to touch her, although they were separated by a barrier more powerful than the mesh metal fence between them._

"_I've tried to forget, to put it aside, but I can't. I have the same dream, over and over, and it's like this, only you're not here." He was babbling, and she tried to interrupt him, but she couldn't. "I stand on the ledge with this fence to my back, staring down at the ground. And then I wake up and always wonder what would've happened if I'd leapt."_

"_You're not making any sense," she said. He laughed._

"_I'm not being logical. Yeah, I know. But logic isn't everything. Sometimes you have to make a leap of faith, rely on your intuition, to uncover the truth." He paused. "Sometimes you have to find out whether or not you'll wake up when you hit the ground." She slowly shook her head._

"_Please reconsider this… this madness," she said._

"_I won't. The truth doesn't wait, Naoto," he said, a stubborn jut to his chin._

"_This 'truth' you speak of will," she said, leaning forward, trying to convey the strength of her feelings._

"_Nothing here is holding me back," he said indifferently. She flinched._

"_What about… me?" she asked._

"_One thing, then," he amended with a faint smile. "You could always join me, you know."_

"_This isn't the time to be glib," she said, gaze hardening into a glare. He shrugged._

"_It doesn't really matter either way, does it?"_

**_Because in the end we all will die. Memento Mori, Naoto._**

Naoto woke up with an unfamiliar wetness on her cheeks. Sunlight streamed through the windows of the ward, bathing the homey room in a peaceful radiance. She turned her pounding head to the side, and the first thing she saw was her hat, sitting on the nearby desk, as though it had always been there.

_To be continued…_

**_Author's Note_: **So yeah. Short, considering this is a transition chapter, it accomplishes what's necessary to accomplish. Not only that, but we get to take a look at Ichigo's psyche and Naoto's past. Not bad, eh? Anyway, please read, enjoy, and review if possible. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter!

_Return of the Thief, _out.


	7. Chapter Six

**Memento Mori**

"Ah, you're awake." Naoto turned her head as the man came in. She recognized him as Ichigo's father, Isshin Kurosaki. He moved with surprising grace for someone so big, having entered the room without Naoto's notice.

"Thank you for treating me, sir," she said respectfully. "I greatly appreciate your kindness; I'll be sure to compensate you when the time comes." Isshin raised a large, hairy hand in airy negligence.

"Don't worry about that, Shirogane-san, worry about recovering. How do you feel, anyway?" Naoto permitted a reserved smile to flit across her features.

"Much better. A little stiff, however." She rotated her shoulders. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost three days." Isshin scratched his dark hair. "It's mid-afternoon now. Everyone's currently at school." Naoto nodded as she absorbed the information.

"I see. Thank you." Isshin smiled.

"No need to thank me. I'm merely doing my job." Then he laughed. "Heh, that sounded pretty cool. I should use that line more often." Isshin gave her a thumbs up, and Naoto blinked.

"Err… when will I be discharged, sir?" she asked, deciding to ignore Isshin's strangeness. The man laughed again.

"Let me give you a quick check-up, and then I'll let you know," he said, showing her his stethoscope for emphasis. Abruptly Naoto realized she was in a flimsy white hospital gown, and started.

_Does he know…? _Isshin seemed to read her mind, or else saw the look on her face, because he smiled slightly.

"Yes, I am aware of the fact that you're a girl," he said, and Naoto's stomach dropped somewhat. Had this happened before the Adachi-Namatame case, Naoto would've been horrified at being found out. As it was, she could only wonder what would happen next.

"Have you told anyone?" she asked, already imaging the reactions of the students at Karakura High. Part of her wasn't even sure why she bothered to keep up the façade; habit perhaps? Naoto was pleasantly surprised when Isshin shook his head.

"No… I figured you had your own reasons for keeping your gender hidden. We all have our secrets, after all." A haunted look entered Isshin's dark eyes. Naoto was intrigued in spite of herself.

"Including your son, Ichigo?" The words slipped out of her mouth before could stop them, and Naoto wondered if she'd just ruined her chances at extracting information from Ichigo's family. But Isshin simply offered her a hollow smile.

"Especially Ichigo."

_-x-x-x-_

Naoto-kun! Are you okay?" Naoto blinked as Orihime and Tatsuki burst into the clinic, Orihime holding a basket overflowing with bread.

"I-Inoue-san, Arisawa-san! What are you doing here?" Naoto asked, pushing aside a stab of pleasure at the sight of the duo.

"There are all sorts of rumors flying around at school about how you were really badly hurt, and we wanted to make sure you were okay," Tatsuki said, before adding with a wry grin, "and Chizuru was devastated, although she was too proud to ask about you."

_Who's Chizuru? _Naoto wanted to ask, but Orihime thrust the basket of bread into Naoto's hands before she could even form the words.

"It's day old bread! I hope you don't mind, but it'll make you feel better! Promise!" Orihime said, and Naoto was stunned to see the redhead's eyes were wet with tears.

"Y-you don't have to cry, I'm perfectly all right." Naoto was alarmed by the sight. Tatsuki patted Orihime comfortingly on the back, who sniffled.

"I'm sorry. I was just so worried about you. Kurosaki-kun wasn't really saying much and you were gone for so long," Orihime said, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"You don't need to apologize…" _You barely even know me. _But Naoto didn't say that, afraid of setting Orihime off. Besides, she was rather touched by the girl's gesture.

"So what happened, Naoto-kun? Ichigo really _hasn't _said much. We've heard all sorts of rumors, though. Was it anything… strange?" Tatsuki asked, an air of forced casualness setting off alarm bells in Naoto's head.

"Strange?" Naoto repeated with a raised eyebrow. Orihime and Tatsuki exchanged glances.

"Yeah. Strange," Tatsuki said slowly.

"I don't know if I'd call getting jumped by a gang _strange_, but it was certainly painful." Orihime gasped.

"Oh, you poor thing," she said, biting her lip. Tatsuki looked down at her feet.

"Well, thanks to Kurosaki-san, I'm fine," Naoto said lightly, although her eyes were sharp and watchful. She plucked a piece of bread from the basket and took a bite; it tasted surprisingly good.

_-x-x-x-_

The clinic was a sterile place, with whitewashed walls and regularly cleaned cots. Nonetheless, there was something about it that made Naoto eager to leave. Most likely it was the idea that she was in a place where others had died… it was not a pleasant realization. It also reminded her of that brief, dark time when Nanako had been in the hospital, another unpleasant memory.

"Hey. I brought you some food." She looked up.

_So. Kurosaki finally decides to show up. _Naoto didn't know whether to feel excited or apprehensive. He shut the door to the clinic with the heel of his foot, steaming plate of food in hand. Naoto's mouth began to water against her will as the smell wafted over to her. Day old bread could only do so much.

"Make sure you like it, Yuzu worked really hard," Ichigo said.

"Your little sister cooks for you?" Naoto asked thoughtlessly as she took the plate, before mentally swearing. Ichigo threw her a startled look.

"How did you know Yuzu was my sister?" he asked. Naoto thought quickly.

"Your father mentioned her," she said. Ichigo hesitated, suspicious, and then pulled up a chair to sit beside Naoto's cot.

"You'll get to leave tomorrow," he said after several awkward seconds. Naoto bobbed her head.

"I know. Dr. Kurosaki mentioned it during my check-up. Said he wanted me to have an extra day of rest, just to make sure. I lost a fair bit of blood – head wound and all that." She eyed Ichigo carefully.

"Yeah," he said, expression unreadable. There was an uncomfortable pause, and then Naoto cleared her throat, playing with her food.

"I want to thank you for saving me, especially since I'm practically a stranger. Not many would do that." Ichigo's expression softened slightly after a moment.

"Don't worry about that. It was the right thing to do," he said gruffly. "And don't worry about the _Miya-Kou _gang, either. They won't be bothering anyone anytime soon." Naoto almost asked what happened, and then decided that, as an officiator of the law, she'd rather not know.

"I see." They lapsed back into an awkward silence, neither saying anything. Naoto couldn't help but wonder what it was Ichigo wanted. Finally the boy straightened, a scowl written across his face.

"All right, enough of this crap. You've been asking people about me. Why?" Naoto winced.

_This is not how I wanted this conversation to happen, _Naoto thought, biting her lip. _In fact, I would've preferred if it never happened at all. _She looked into his intense amber eyes and pondered her answer.

"I…" Naoto began, stalling for time by taking a bite of her food. It was excellent. She swallowed. "I guess it's because you're different."

"Different?" There was a strange inflection to his tone.

"Yes. You've had a record of delinquency, and yet you're friends with the likes of Uryuu Ishida and Orihime Inoue. You skipped a chunk of school your freshman year, then abruptly stopped your truancy and began to develop acute signs of depression. It's… different." Ichigo was still, so Naoto took the time to eat her dinner, feeling much better in the process.

"You're hiding something," he finally said, tone accusing. Naoto finished her food.

"So are you." Neither moved for a long moment, locked in a battle of wills as they stared at one another. Naoto found herself almost captivated by the intensity of Ichigo's gaze, unable to look away. Finally Ichigo stood up, stiff with barely repressed anger.

"I brought back the homework you missed. I'll go get it." She watched him leave, resisting the urge to call out his name. Ichigo abruptly stopped and did an about-face, a morose look briefly overcoming his features. "And you're wrong, by the way. I'm not different, not really. I just have orange hair, and that's about it."

Then he was gone.

_-x-x-x-_

It was the dark haired girl who brought Naoto her homework, followed closely by another girl with light brown hair tied in pig-tails.

"Who are you?" Naoto asked, although she had a pretty shrewd idea.

"Karin Kurosaki. This is my twin, Yuzu," said the dark haired one, before adding bluntly, "What did you say to Ichi-nee? He's pretty upset."

"Karin!" Yuzu scolded her sister before the taken aback Naoto had a chance to respond. "Don't say such things to our patient." She then rushed forward to place a cool hand on Naoto's forehead. The detective blinked.

"I… ah, you don't have to do that," Naoto said awkwardly. Yuzu drew back.

"Sorry," she squeaked, flustered, and Naoto hastened to reassure the young girl.

"I appreciate your concern, however. And the dinner you made me; it was incredible." A radiant smile broke out across Yuzu's face, like a sun bursting through the cloud barrier.

"I'm so happy to hear that!" she said enthusiastically. Karin, meanwhile, set Naoto's books at her bedside, gaze never leaving the detective's face. Naoto turned to meet her head on, aware of what the darker twin was thinking.

"I never meant to upset your brother," she said, which was technically true. She hadn't originally intended to hurt Ichigo, although it ended up happening that way in the end. Karin said nothing for a moment as Yuzu looked on anxiously.

"Just be careful of what you say around Ichi-nee. He's more sensitive than you'd think," Karin said at last. Naoto nodded slowly.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said.

"C'mon, Yuzu, let's go." Karin walked back around the cot. Yuzu jumped.

"O-okay." They turned to go, and Karin paused.

"A lot of people have died in this clinic, you know," she said it almost as an afterthought. "So… watch out for ghosts."

_-x-x-x-_

Igor placed several tarot cards face down, muttering to himself.

"It's all coming together… slowly but surely…" The door to the Velvet Room creaked open. Igor looked up, and a slow smile spread across his face. "Ah! I was wondering when you'd arrive. How are you?"

"Fine." The bright blue butterfly perched on the man's shoulder flapped its delicate wings, floating gracefully over to Igor. The old man extended a crooked finger, and the butterfly landed, glowing a soft blue color.

"It has been awhile… how were you able to return?" Igor's bloodshot eyes seemed to burn azure with the butterfly's reflected light. He took a seat in the chair, letting his hands dangle casually over his knees.

"I don't know. I just had a feeling I could come to the Velvet Room… and then I appeared here. Kind of like Teddie, that one time. Remember?" Nostalgia caused his mouth to curve, although it looked more like a grimace then a smile. Igor chuckled.

"Of course I remember… I never forget anything." Igor laced his hands together, causing the butterfly to float away. It landed on the filing cabinet, a silent observer.

"Where is Margaret?" The unknown man had immediately noted the second residence's absence, but looked around in vain for her anyway.

"I sent her out on a very special mission. It is of critical importance that she accomplishes it, or else everything will be for naught." Igor gazed at the man with rheum-ridden eyes. "Can I trust you to be my accomplice?"

"It depends on what you want from me. I am no longer who I once was, as I'm sure you're well aware." Igor laughed.

"Oh yes… I am certainly aware… still, it is a simple mission. I need you to give Naoto Shirogane the trigger to understand everything that is going on… you're quite good at that." There was a moment of silence.

"What's in it for me?" His gaze bored into Igor's, cold and demanding.

"I will grant your dearest wish." For a moment, no one moved. The air became still and cold, and the candles lining the Velvet Room guttered, almost flickering out of existence.

"Deal." Igor smiled broadly.

"Excellent. Well then…" Igor opened his arms wide, as if to hug the man. "Welcome back to the Velvet Room, Yu Narukami."

_To be continued…_

_**Author's Note:**_Sorry for the late update. I was distracted by the show Vampire Diaries - which is surprising, considering the disdain that Twilight has given me for all vampire related romances. But I digress. Anyway, that's the last of the short chapters, I believe. Things should start heating up from here on out. Stay tuned!_  
_

_Return of the Thief, _out.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Memento Mori**

_I feel as though I'm being glared at… _Naoto turned in her seat to meet Ichigo's intense gaze. He had a fearsome scowl etched across his features and was simply oozing suspicion. Raising an eyebrow, Naoto turned away.

_How childish. _Ichigo's rage at her blatant ignoring of him was instantly palpable. It took all of Naoto's willpower not to roll her eyes. _Well, his sudden need to stare at me throughout class seems to have at least helped him out of his depression. That's something, I suppose. _Naoto didn't really mind his glares; she had dealt with Kanji glowering at her on a daily basis during her first year at Yasogami High, although she couldn't help but suspect that the reasoning was somewhat different.

Naoto attempted to tune in to what the teacher was saying. However, she already knew the subject that was being taught, and thus found it hard to be the model student when she was bored stiff. Not that she would care, normally, but Uryuu Ishida was extremely intelligent, and Naoto couldn't help but feel galvanized to compete with him. It wasn't often that she met someone of similar genius. He might be smarter then even…

_Don't say his name. Don't even think it. _Naoto sighed and pushed her cap out of her eyes. It had been a week since her return to school, and the uproar over her attack was finally dying down. Naoto was glad; she'd always hated being the center of attention. Ichigo being the one to save her had put him in the spotlight as well, and she could tell it irritated him as much as it did her. People left him alone much more quickly than they did her, however – there was a standoffish aura to Ichigo that Naoto could only dream of having. It was something every great detective needed, and Naoto was sadly lacking in that department. Rise had always said it was because she was too adorable to be truly threatening, which Naoto took offense to.

The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch. Nearly everyone stood up, and Naoto saw Ichigo start to make a beeline toward her.

"Naoto-kun! Come eat lunch with us!" Orihime flounced over, Tatsuki following behind like a faithful guard dog. Ichigo stopped mid-stride, the scowl on his face deepening. Tatsuki noticed and smirked.

"What's up, Ichigo? You've been more sour than usual as of late. Want to join us for lunch?" Her smirk widened into a grin. Ichigo shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Nah, I'm fine." He turned and stalked out of class. Orihime watched him go, disappointment clear in her huge eyes. Naoto frowned. Then she blinked. Did she just hear her name?

"… Why does Shirogane always get to eat with Orihime-san? Doesn't he have any guy friends? It's not fair, how can such a small, girly-man get in with all the hot chicks? Apparently half the school has a crush on the guy. _I'm_ supposed to be the one all the girls fawn over. I am the only playa of this class!"

"Calm down, Asano-san, that's a self-proclaimed title."

"Noooo, Mizuiro, don't call me thaaaat!"

"… Why are you shouting?"

"Shirogane-san?" Naoto blinked and looked to see that Ishida had sauntered over. She shook her head, clearing her mind of the distraction, and met his gaze.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention." Naoto lifted her hat apologetically. Ishida adjusted his glasses.

"Don't worry about it. I was going to ask what you thought of the lesson."

"It was… well, to be perfectly candid, it was rather boring." Ishida smiled at that and Naoto felt her heart skip a beat.

_Get a grip. _She pushed aside the twinge of guilt.

"It's nice to know that there are others who rival me intellectually –" Ishida started to say, only to be interrupted by an impatient Tatsuki.

"Yeah, yeah, you're both super smart, we get it. C'mon, I'm starving. Do you want to eat with us, Ishida?" she asked bluntly. Frowning, Ishida considered her proposition, before shrugging.

"I don't see why not, as long as no one has any objections?" He looked around at their small group.

"Don't be silly! Of course you can eat with us, Ishida-kun! Would you like to try some of my lunch~?" Orihime exclaimed happily.

"Well…" Ishida coughed, and Naoto sympathized with him, as it was difficult to think of a diplomatic way to refuse such a genuine offer. "Maybe if I'm still hungry." Orihime bounced happily on the spot.

"Okay!"

_I'll be honestly surprised if he is…_Naoto thought, suppressing a smile. It felt good to be among a group of people she could consider friends. It was an added bonus that they all knew Ichigo. Although she still wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, Naoto instinctively knew that she was on the edge of a breakthrough. Call it detective's intuition, as much as she detested the notion.

They all headed up to the roof, where they ate lunch and chattered about trivial things. Well, Orihime and Tatsuki did most of the chattering. Naoto and Ishida mainly listened and ate in contemplative silence. Naoto felt truly at peace, and once again couldn't help but feel glad that she'd made the decision to move to Karakura Town.

"Hey, Naoto-kun…" She blinked at Orihime.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say thank you." Orihime gave her a glowing smile and Naoto tilted her head in confusion. Both Tatsuki and Ishida stopped what they were doing to stare at them.

"That's very kind of you… but, if I may ask, why?" Naoto felt a strange sense of excitement course through her; something was about to happen. Something important. Orihime frowned, putting her finger on her lip.

"Well… it's just, you're making Kurosaki-kun happy."

_Huh?_ Naoto instinctively turned to look at the orange-haired teen. He was standing alone and aloof, one hand lightly resting on the chain link fence of the roof, staring off into the distance. Naoto wasn't quite sure how that equated happiness.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand." Naoto returned her gaze to Orihime's.

"It's hard to explain, but we've known Kurosaki for a long time. And for some reason, when he's near you, he's far happier than he has been in the past few months." This time it was Ishida who spoke, his tone clipped and precise, as if to contain some sort of intense emotion. Naoto didn't know what to say for a moment, honestly taken aback.

"I… I'm glad I could be of service to your friend, although I have no idea what I did." _The last time we talked, he stormed out of the room. In fact, I think that was the only time we talked. Or at least, had something resembling a conversation._ A smile twitched at the corner of Naoto's mouth as she thought of how Ichigo would occasionally grunt at her in the hallway or between class, and she would respond with a polite, but brief, salutation. Her attention was brought back to the trio as they exchanged swift glances.

"I see… well, moving on! Hey, Naoto, we're thinking of organizing a study session for the upcoming calculus test. Wanna help out?" Tatsuki asked, clumsily changing the subject. Naoto frowned at her before shrugging it off.

"I don't see why not." Unbidden, her mind fled to the past, when she had a study session with another group of dear friends…

_-x-x-x-_

"Hey!"

It was after school. Naoto turned to see Ichigo jogging toward her, a look of furious determination on his face. She was surprised to realize that she found the situation rather comical.

"Hello, Kurosaki," she said politely, stopping to allow him to catch up. Orihime and Ishida had left early to do something, and Tatsuki had martial arts practice, so Naoto was quite alone.

"I wanted to talk. To you," he said, rather unnecessarily. Naoto gave him a critical look before nodding.

"Very well. Let us walk." They left the school grounds and began to make their way to their respective homes.

"You… what do you want with me?" Ichigo asked, frowning. Naoto noted that his whole forehead knitted together when he frowned, giving him a permanently angry look. Then she realized what he said, and almost jerked to a stop.

"… I already told you. There's something… abnormal about you that I can't figure out. And as a detective, it's my job to figure out things I don't understand." Ichigo didn't say anything for a long moment.

"You're wrong, you know. I'm really not… different." It seemed as though it took a great effort for Ichigo to say that last word.

"So you've already said. But I disagree." Naoto gave him a sharp stare. "Is there anything… anything at all… you want to tell me about?" Ichigo threw her a startled look, and Naoto wondered if she'd been too forward. Then he scowled.

"Don't be stupid. Later." Then he stomped off. Naoto watched him go.

_His actions and words say one thing, but his manner… _Naoto thought she understood what Orihime and the others meant when they said Ichigo was happy. _He has difficulty expressing his emotions properly. _Naoto couldn't help but feel a sort of kinship with Ichigo at the realization. She continued her walk, passing through the shopping district, and stopped at the local grocery store.

"I should get some food," Naoto said to herself; she still hadn't gone shopping, the gang jump very neatly derailing that plan. She'd been living off of take-out, but figured now was as good a time as any to at least get some breakfast materials. Naoto slipped into the cool store and idly wandered the tiled halls of food. She once again allowed her mind to drift back to the golden days of her first year, when she would hang out with the friends she'd naively thought she'd always be with…

"Oh! I'm so sorry – Shirogane-san?" Naoto jerked out of her reverie to realize she'd almost run over Yuzu Kurosaki.

"I – I apologize; are you okay?" Naoto asked, startled and flustered. Yuzu nodded and smiled.

"I'm fine. I have a shopping cart to protect me. You don't." Yuzu proudly flourished said cart, piled high with foodstuffs. Naoto couldn't help but think of Nanako. Yuzu even looked a bit like her.

"Well, that's – wait. You do the shopping for your family?" Naoto gave Yuzu an incredulous look. Yuzu nodded cheerfully once more.

"Yup! The store owner said Daddy isn't allowed to come here any more." _Not even going to ask. _"Besides, I like to pick the things that I'm going to cook. Ichigo sometimes comes with me, though, or Karin." Yuzu beamed. Unable to resist that brilliant grin, Naoto smiled back.

"Well… I am a detective." Naoto's voice deepened as she looked at Yuzu with serious blue eyes. "And it's my duty to protect all processed goods… mind if I accompany you?" Yuzu giggled shyly, looking down at her feet.

"Sure, if you want." They continued down the aisle. Neither said anything, as Yuzu was suddenly quiet and Naoto didn't know where to go from there. She was surprised she'd even managed to muster up that joke.

_Yosuke would've gone into cardiac arrest if he'd witnessed it, _Naoto reflected, somewhat amused. Yuzu plucked something off the wall, eyeing it critically. Then she jerked around to stare at Naoto.

"Oh! How rude of me; why are you here, Naoto – is it okay if I call you Naoto?" Yuzu seemed somewhat abashed.

"It's fine, I don't mind," Naoto said. "And I'm here shopping, because I still haven't gotten around to stocking my refrigerator." Yuzu cocked her head.

"Why wouldn't your parents do that?" she asked.

"My parents are dead, and my Grampa lives far away," Naoto said blandly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Yuzu gasped and her eyes filled with tears. Naoto started.

"D-don't cry, it's okay. I was really young when they passed on." She awkwardly patted Yuzu's back, who blushed and looked away.

"Still… it's very sad. And you live all by yourself, which must be lonely," Yuzu mumbled, suddenly finding her shoes to be very interesting. Naoto hesitated.

"I… I manage. I have a job to do, after all." Naoto thought of how Yakushiji had visited her, a day after she'd gotten out of the Kurosaki clinic. He'd wanted her to come back home, but Naoto had refused. She wasn't about to abandon a case halfway through. Suddenly Yuzu jerked her head up, eyes shinning.

"Why don't you come eat dinner at my house?" Naoto blinked.

_Huh?_

"I don't think…" Naoto began. Yuzu grabbed her hand before dropping it with a small, embarrassed cry.

"Please! That way you'll get to spend time with us, and not be alone! It'll be lotsa fun! And you won't have to go shopping!" Yuzu gave a pleading look that Naoto knew she couldn't say no to, even if she'd wanted to.

"Well, if you think your family will be okay with it," Naoto said slowly. Yuzu squealed happily, grabbing the cart and dashing off.

"Great, let's hurry up and finish! You can help me decide what to cook tonight!" Naoto watched her run off, absentmindedly scratched the back of her head.

_I hope I don't regret this. _Still, it would be a great opportunity to talk to Ichigo's family while Naoto wasn't strapped down to a medical bed.

_-x-x-x-_

"Daddy, I'm back! And I brought a friend!" Yuzu flung open the door while Naoto staggered behind, laden down with grocery bags.

_Damn… it's been so long since I impersonated a man that I've forgotten some of the downsides. _Naoto readjusted her grip on the slippery plastic, praying that none of the bags would tear.

"My precious Yuzu! Which friend did you bring?! I hope it's Youko, she is quite the…" Isshin stopped mid-sentence and mid-bound to gape at Naoto. Naoto stared back, silently daring him to finish what he'd been saying. Yuzu tugged on her sleeve, completely oblivious.

"Go ahead and set everything on the kitchen counter, Naoto." Isshin's eyes bulged, unnoticed by the duo.

"Very well. Thank you, Yuzu." Naoto nodded at her, then at Isshin, before setting the bags down with a quiet sigh of relief.

"Who's there?" called someone from the living room. Naoto guessed from the bored drawl that it was Karin; besides, with Ichigo at work, it was reasonable to assume that the speaker was the last member of the family.

… _Is it strange that I know that? _Naoto dismissed the thought, walking into the other room to see Karin watching TV. The girl was sprawled on her side and idly flicking through stations.

"Hello, Karin-san, it's me, Naoto Shirogane." Naoto doffed her hat to show respect.

"Just call me Karin." She stared at Naoto with dark, piercing eyes. "Why are you here?" Unsettled, Naoto shuffled her feet.

"Err… your sister invited me over for dinner," Naoto said lamely. Yuzu chose that moment to pop up, sparkling happily.

"He helped me decide what we're having and even paid for our groceries!" Karin blinked before returning her attention to the television.

"Cool." Yuzu pouted, disappointed in her sister's apathetic response, before floating back to the kitchen.

"May I sit beside you?" Naoto asked uncomfortably after a moment. Karin simply nodded and moved over. Taking her seat on the couch, Naoto swiftly engrossed herself in the television show Karin had settled upon; it was a murder mystery, her favorite. Unfortunately, it wasn't very good, and Naoto had already figured out who the culprit was halfway through. She continued to watch anyway, just to make sure she was right. As the show drew to a close (a delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen by this time), Ichigo showed up, looking tired and grumpy as Naoto had come to realize was usual.

"Hey, everyone, I – _what the hell are you doing here_?!" He pointed at Naoto, turning a bright shade of red that clashed magnificently with his orange hair.

"I –"

"Ichigooooo!" Isshin bounded into the room, and Naoto was stunned to see tears were dribbling down his face. "Thank goodness you have returned, son, this man has been trying to seduce Yuzu and Karin! Oh, they're too young to marry and leave me all alone with you – console me, my son!" Both Naoto and Ichigo choked in surprise at that, and Naoto felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Karin seemed mildly bored.

"Dad!" It was Yuzu, wearing an apron, her face flushed. "Don't say that! I just invited Naoto over because he eats all by himself."

"See! They're already on a first name basis! _Ichigo_!" Isshin threw himself at Ichigo's feet, rubbing his snot on his son's pants. Ichigo let out a yelp and kicked Isshin away.

"Get the hell off me, you crazy moron!" he said angrily. Isshin staggered back, before turning and running to a giant poster of a beautiful woman that Naoto hadn't noticed until that moment. Ichigo then scowled at Naoto, before directing his gaze toward Yuzu, who was by now bright red.

"… Is dinner ready?" he asked. Yuzu blinked.

"Wha – oh yeah! Come and eat, everyone!" At this, Isshin bounced back to his feet, cheery grin in place.

"Woo! Daddy calls first portions!" He dashed into the kitchen.

_I'm not quite sure what just happened, _Naoto thought with a sweatdrop. _Doesn't Kurosaki-san realize I'm a girl?_

"Don't worry. This is normal for us." She turned to see Karin had turned off the TV and stood up. The young girl proffered a hand.

"Thank you, Karin." Naoto accepted the hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Then they both turned to see Ichigo glowering at them, suspicion radiating off him in waves.

"Oh, chill out, Ichi-nee. You're not actually going to take our idiot father seriously, are you?" Karin said. Ichigo started, and then had the grace to look abashed.

"Shut up, it's time to eat." He headed into the kitchen, Naoto and Karin following suit. The meal was just as amazing as the last time Naoto had tried Yuzu's food. Eating her fill and then some, Naoto couldn't help but feel comfortably full and quite happy as she listened to the light-hearted banter that circulated the table, generating mostly from Isshin.

"You haven't said much, Naoto. Do you not like the food?" Yuzu peered at her anxiously.

"No, this is amazing. You're an excellent cook." Naoto smiled and Yuzu appeared overjoyed. Isshin threw his son an _I told you so _look, which Ichigo ignored.

"So, why aren't you saying much?" Ichigo challenged, amber eyes glinting. Naoto shrugged.

"I've never been very good at conversing. Besides… listening to you all talk brings back memories." Naoto wasn't sure what made her say that, but it caught the Kurosaki family's attention.

"What do you mean, Naoto?" Yuzu asked. Naoto frowned.

"My friends in Inaba, my hometown, they were very dear to me. And the way you all interact reminds me of them. Don't worry, it's a compliment." She smiled. Nobody said anything for a long moment. Then Isshin flicked some rice at Ichigo, setting them off once more.

_-x-x-x-_

_Meet me at Karakura Park after school. Ichigo. _Naoto stared at the note.

_That's strange, he didn't strike me as the type to put notes in someone's shoe locker. _But the handwriting was clearly Ichigo's, so Naoto stuffed it in her pocket and silently vowed to ask Ichigo about it when she saw him.

However, Ichigo didn't show up at school. Naoto frowned at that, wondering what had happened. Could he be sick? To make the day even odder, Ishida and Orihime simultaneously stood up during the middle of afternoon class, faces pale.

"Teacher… I don't feel well. May I go?" Ishida asked.

"Me too?" Orihime asked. She actually did look rather ill, her face white as a sheet. The teacher blinked, surprised at being interrupted in the midst of his lecture. Usually, if they had to leave, they just stood up and walked out.

"Erm… of course, go ahead." They both practically sprinted out. Naoto watched them leave, resisting the urge to get up and follow.

_They always seem to have to go somewhere, but usually never together… what's going on? _Naoto resolved to question them about it when she next saw them. The rest of the day passed without incident, and Naoto was the first out of class, eager to meet up with Ichigo and see what he had to say.

_I wonder if he'll finally tell me what's going on around here. And I hope he has a good explanation for skipping school, or I'll have to scold him for truancy, _Naoto thought as she determinedly made her way to the park. There stood Ichigo, his usual scowl scrawled across his face. He strode forward to meet her.

"Hey. What did you want from me?" he asked. Naoto stopped and stared.

"I should be asking you that question, Kurosaki." Ichigo blinked.

"What? But then why did you write this note?" He dug it out of his pocket and presented it to her with an irritable flourish. Naoto took it and opened the letter. It definitely said to come to the park, and was definitely in her handwriting. But Naoto was also positive that she'd never written it.

"… Why weren't you at school?" she asked numbly. Ichigo started.

"What? Why does that matter?" he snapped, defensive.

"Answer the question."

"… I just… I didn't feel like it." He was wearing an expression that Naoto knew all too well.

Suddenly it hit her.

_No one was home. _

_Or at least, no one should've been at home. Naoto walked up to his door and knocked._

"_Come in." He sounded so tired. He looked tired, too, sprawled across his couch, staring blankly up at the ceiling. She approached him, unable to keep the worry out of her voice._

"_Why didn't you come to work today?" He took an impossibly long time to answer._

"…_I didn't feel like it."_

All the pieces fell into place.

"You… you were special, weren't you?" Naoto said slowly. Ichigo stared at her.

"Huh?" She grabbed his hand and jerked it so that they were gazing directly into one another's eyes.

"You could do something, couldn't you? You had some special ability… something no one else could do… but you lost it, didn't you?" Ichigo jerked back as though she'd physically burned him.

"H-how did you know?" he demanded. Naoto began to pace.

"You… you're just like him. Dammit, why didn't I realize it earlier? Ichigo, _what could you do_?" she asked him urgently.

"Wait, what… I-I can't tell you – who am I like?" Ichigo seemed confused and agitated, but also strangely brimming with excitement. Naoto stopped and looked him dead in the eye.

"A… friend… he had something no one else had. But then he lost it, and spiraled into depression. He saved the world with that ability, Ichigo, and I suspect something similar happened to you." They just stood there, staring at each other, one the prim and proper child detective-slash-genius, the other a roughshod semi-hooligan.

"What happened to your… friend?" Ichigo asked slowly. Naoto looked away.

"He… He…" A look of anguish twisted Naoto's features. "He committed suicide."

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter Eight

**Memento Mori**

They met up with Chad outside of the school. Ishida was alarmed to see that even the huge man was shaken.

"You felt it too?" Ishida asked curtly. Chad nodded.

"A massive _reiatsu_? Yes. And it definitely didn't seem friendly." Clenching his fists, Chad radiated intensity.

"Do you think Urahara-san or anyone from Soul Society will come help?" Orihime asked nervously.

"Doubtful. They never have before. But I'm sure we can handle it." Ishida moved forward, and the duo fell behind him. With Ichigo unable to fight, Ishida became the leader, no questions asked. "Now come on, let's cut this thing off before it wreaks havoc." Another blast of power hit them, and Ishida winced. Whatever it was, it wasn't trying to hide.

"I think it's coming from the shopping district," Orihime said. Ishida nodded in agreement, and they took off at a dead sprint. They arrived there in record time (although a brief rest had to be made for Orihime), and stopped to stare at the sight before them. There was a woman, dressed completely in midnight blue, standing beside a fountain. In her hands was a book.

Ishida had never seen anyone so beautiful, but a shudder ran down his spin when she turned, and he saw that her eyes were pale gold.

"Hello. It is a pleasure to finally meet the three of you." Her voice was cool and gave away nothing. Ishida frowned, looking around. There was no one else in the vicinity. In fact, the shopping district seemed eerily empty.

_This is the owner of that _reiatsu_?_

"Who are you and what do you want?" Ishida asked. The woman smiled.

"I am Margaret of the Velvet Room… as for what I want… well, I want your time." A brilliant light exploded out of Margaret's book, forming a pale woman in a mask, wearing a blood red hat and cloak. Ishida took a step back, stunned and not knowing quite how to respond. Chad and Orihime seemed similarly shocked.

"What is…" he began.

"Scathach, kill them," Margaret said. The woman nodded and her eyes began to glow. Ishida whipped out his Quincy bow, and Chad powered up both _Brazo Derecha de Gigante_ and_ Brazo Izquierda del Diablo_. Orihime took a step back, ready to protect or heal them if the need arose. Suddenly Ishida felt something cold climbing up his legs, and looked down.

_I'm being frozen solid! _Ishida thought, writhing frantically. There was a warm glow, however, and then ice receded. A bright light raced back over to Orihime.

"Thanks, Orihime!" Ishida shouted, firing a round of arrows at Scathach. Chad let out a roar, using _La Muerte, _a blast of energy, on her. The two attacks shot toward the floating woman.

"I don't think so," Margaret said, flipping through her book. There was a bright light, and then their attacks slammed into an invisible wall of pure energy. The wall absorbed their combined might and then glowed brightly.

_That can't be good._

"Move!" Ishida shouted, flashing over to Orihime and sprinting as fast as he could. Their attack rebounded back, and there was a brilliant explosion that knocked them off their feet as it slammed into the ground several hundred feet away.

"Are you all right, Ishida-kun?" Orihime's voice penetrated the ringing of Ishida's ears.

"I… I think so… where are my glasses… and Sado?" Ishida squinted as the blurry world slowly came into focus.

"Here are your glasses. I'm not sure where Chad is, though…" Able to see again, Ishida attempted to squint through the cloud of dust and debris. It slowly cleared to show that Chad, unable to move quickly enough, had put up _Brazo Derecha de Gigante_ and taken the brunt of the blow. He seemed battered and bruised, but otherwise capable of fighting.

"Stay here, out of harms way. I'm going to go help Sado." Ishida started to rejoin the fray, but Orihime grabbed his arm.

"Ishida-kun! Be careful…" she said seriously. Ishida hesitated before nodding.

"Don't worry about me." Then he was beside Chad. "How are you feeling?" Chad staggered to his feet.

"… I've had better days," he rumbled. Ishida smiled tightly, before summoning his glowing blue bow.

"Let's split up. You distract that thing the woman – Margaret – summoned, and I'll try to stop her, or at least take away that book," he said. Chad nodded his agreement, and Ishida flitted away.

"You're quite durable, aren't you?" Margaret called out. Her tone was playful, but her eyes were oblique, hiding all emotion. Chad said nothing, merely readied his arms. Margaret's expression hardened. "Scathach." The pale woman's eyes glowed again, and a blast of swirling wind shot toward Chad. Rather then block the attack, Chad let out a bellow and slammed it away, forcing the wind to dissipate. However, it then split into two whirling tornadoes that surrounded Chad, swiftly closing in. Thinking fast, Chad smashed his fist into the ground, sending _La Muerte_ through the earth. There was a shockwave followed by an explosion as the ground heaved upward, causing a draft of wind that cut through the encroaching tornadoes. Chad panted from the stress of his feat, although a faint smirk appeared to grace his lips.

_Good job, Sado, _Ishida thought.

"You're finished." He shot forward using all his speed, appearing right in front of Margaret's face. The blonde's eyes widened in shock as Ishida fired at point blank range. She collapsed limply, suffused with bright energy arrows, and Scathach dissipated in a burst of velveteen blue. Ishida allowed his bow to disappear. He picked up Margret's book, which had fallen, before turning and heading toward Chad. Orihime walked up to meet them.

"Let me heal your wounds!" she said urgently. Ishida waved her off.

"I'm fine, look at Sado." Orihime nodded and, ignoring Chad's protests, began to administer to him, clucking and cooing like a mother hen. Ishida glanced back at the woman.

_I should take her to Urahara's for questioning, _he thought grimly. He then glanced down to inspect the book she'd been using. He'd never seen anything like it. Ishida flipped it open, raising a brow when he found every page was blank, except for the last one.

_Never forgot that the only truth is the pursuit of truth._

"Strange…" Before Ishida could puzzle out the meaning of the statement, he felt the presence of several Hollows. He went rigid, almost dropping Margaret's book in surprise. Their location was near the park… on the opposite end of Karakura Town. Where he could also dimly sense Ichigo and Naoto.

_Fuck! This couldn't have been a trap, could it? _Ishida turned away. Orihime and Chad were also on their feet, expressions concerned. _That damn woman… was she somehow blocking us from perceiving the Hollows? _Suddenly the book in Ishida's hands burned hot, and he instinctively dropped it. It stopped in midair, floating slowly over to where Margaret's prone form had once lain.

Now she was on her feet, a brilliant blue energy surrounding her entire body. The Hollows' energies faded from Ishida's mind as Margaret's _reiatsu _flared, almost bringing him to his knees with its power. Her golden eyes shown stone cold.

"I did not wish to hurt you," Margaret said softly, "but it seems I've been left with no choice."

_-x-x-x-_

"Wait, your friend committed – I would never do that!" Ichigo looked indignant. Naoto bit her lip, struggling to control her emotions.

_I can't break down here. I needed to face this, sooner or later, and it seems it's going to be sooner._

"No one ever thought he would do such a thing, either," she said. "Kurosaki… no, Ichigo… I'm only telling you this because I get the strangest feeling you'll believe me. You see, seventeen months ago –"

"Seventeen months?" Ichigo stared at her, shocked. "That's when I – but wait…"

"Lost your… powers?" Naoto said slowly, attempting to piece it all together. Suddenly Ichigo was gripping her by the shoulders, so hard it quickly became painful. A strange fervor lit up his amber eyes.

"Do you know some way to get them back? Tell me now that you do. I suspected, but…" He was literally trembling with excitement. Naoto gritted her teeth.

"L-let go, you're hurting me." Ichigo instantly backed off, apologetic. Naoto took a deep breath, rubbing her shoulders and wondering if there would be bruises. "I don't even know what your powers are, Ichigo, how would I –?"

_Boom._

They both froze. A feeling of familiarity and dread came over Naoto.

_Boom._

There was a loud screech as the nearby slide bent and twisted out of shape. The massive imprint of some beast appeared to sink into the concrete. They both automatically took a step back.

_Boom._

They whirled around, to see a similar set of giant prints coming from the opposite direction. There was a squeal of twisting metal as the invisible _thing _knocked aside a swing set.

_Boom._

"Fuck," Ichigo said. Naoto thought that summed up the situation rather succinctly.

"What's happening, Ichigo?" she asked softly. They were back to back, watching as the invisible creatures approached them at a leisurely pace, confident in their helpless states.

"We're about to die if Ishida doesn't show up soon, that's what's happening." Ichigo was trembling, from what Naoto didn't know. "Doesn't mean I'm going down without a fight."

"What? Ichigo, don't be rash!" Naoto was ignored as Ichigo dashed ahead, much faster than most normal people. He let out a ragged yell and threw himself into the air, only to be knocked aside by one of the unseen forces. Naoto could hear the bones cracking as blood spurted out of Ichigo's mouth. He went flying off to the side, crashing into the ground with a sickening _crunch. _

_Shit. This is bad. _Naoto started to step toward Ichigo, only for something to snatch her off the ground, causing her hat to tumble away. Naoto almost laughed at the familiarity of what just occurred. Everything became a blur as she was caught in an iron hard grip. She began to writhe and twist out of instinct, but then slowed down. It was so _cold _and difficult to _breathe_. She just wanted sleep, to forget. To die.

_Maybe I'll see him again, _she thought hazily, making a lethargic half-attempt at escape. She thought she could hear someone – no, some_thing_ – chuckling. Everything was going white and foggy, and Naoto thought she could make out the dim outline of someone. Then his features became clear.

_Yu._

He smiled. Put a finger to his head, as though it were a gun. Pretended to fire.

"_The truth is never as it first appears_._"_

Suddenly Naoto was on the ground. Life returned to her limbs, and she rolled to her feet, gasping for breath. She staggered away from where she instinctively knew the thing was. Things were. Naoto's hand shot down to her belt, and she pulled out the _evoker_, her arms shaking as she adjusted her aim.

_It doesn't have bullets you moron._

Naoto just stood there, waiting for something to happen. But whatever was attacking her was clearly waiting for something as well. Nothing happened for a long moment.

_"Sometimes you have to find out whether or not you'll wake up when you hit the ground."_

For the first time in a long time, Naoto halted all her of her rapid thought processes. She knew if she had time to contemplate how ludicrous what she was about to attempt was, she'd back out. So for several blissful seconds, Naoto didn't think of anything at all, just let instinct guide her. And it felt horrifyingly wonderful.

Naoto put the evoker to her head and fired.

_She was in a world with no beginning or end, top or bottom, time or space. Bright lights like stars glimmered in the darkness. Yamato-Takeru stared at her._

_"Do you think you can handle this?" he asked. Naoto stared at him._

_"What happened to you… why have you reverted to your original form?"_

_"When you lost Yu, you lost what you had gained. Thus I have resumed this form. Can you handle this?" His white eyes shown stone cold._

_"I don't understand." She wished she could have a moment to think, to analyze everything that was happening. But Yamato-Takeru seemed impatient._

_"Does it matter? You did not understand the consequences of baiting yourself by appearing on the news, and yet you did it anyway. Can you handle this?"_

_"That was different. I was fifteen and desperate for a lead." _

_"Not that different, it seems. Can you handle this?" They stared at each other. Naoto was the one to drop her gaze._

_"I'll try."_

She opened her eyes and saw the truth.

Everything had taken on a misty quality; much like Inaba had appeared before Ameno-Sagiri and Adachi were defeated. Standing before here were two huge, grotesque monsters. One stood on his knuckles, and had a broad, flat white mask. The other was small and aviary in appearance, with a sharp beak protruding out of its mask. They both had black, soulless eyes.

Naoto was not afraid.

She wasn't alone. For the first time in a very, very long time, she could feel _Yamato-Takeru_. His strength was her strength, the façade of her personality running through her veins. She held up the _evoker_; it was suffused in a soft blue light.

"Holy shit, what happened to the kid's _reiatsu_?" Naoto was shocked to hear the bigger monster speak in a low, rumbling bass.

"It got huge." The bird-like one seemed uneasy. "Still, we should be able to handle it. Why else would they send us to take them out? Besides, now we'll have an even tastier meal." The big monster's mask split open. Saliva dripped down its jaws, burning holes in the ground.

"True. And all this standing around makes me HUNGRY!" He launched himself at Naoto. It was strange; a moment ago everything was happening too fast for her to comprehend. Now time seemed to have come to a standstill. The monster was practically moving in slow motion. Naoto rolled to the side, easily avoiding the thing's lumbering charge. The other blinked.

"It can see us," said the monster, obviously stunned. The guerilla creature skidded to a halt before turning.

"So, you can see us now, little human?" It rose up on two legs, the dark holes it had for eyes seeming to grow larger. "Maybe that'll make this more interesting. I always like a little entertainment before a good meal." Convulsing, it spat out some dark liquid at Naoto. She reacted thoughtlessly, lifting up the evoker and firing. A bright something exploded from the barrel, colliding with the mucus-based projectile. There was a golden glow, and then the two attacks dissipated in midair.

_"Tetraja. It neutralized the poisonous substance."_ Naoto could hear Yamato-Takeru in her head.

_How is this happening? _

_"Your gun connects us, allows me to materialize in the True World through you. I do not know why or how."_ Naoto looked down at the _evoker_, glowing softly. _"They're coming."_ Her gaze shifted back up. The duo had silently coordinated a simultaneous attack, racing toward her from both directions. Naoto held up the gun, ready to fire at the guerilla monster.

_"No."_

She hesitated, then flicked the gun to the earth and fired. A shining light spread out from the point of entry. The fog turned golden, and a beautiful melody that was vaguely familiar to Naoto began to haunt the empty air. The creatures stopped, startled and confused by whatever was happening. Naoto didn't quite understand what was going on, either.

_"Mahamaon."_ A pentacle suddenly appeared, and there was a flash of intense light. Naoto covered her eyes, feeling something invisible and powerful ruffle her hair. Then it was over, and the two monsters were gone.

_Where did they go?_

_"To death, I would assume. I do not know what happens when one enters the void." _A massive wave of exhaustion almost overwhelmed Naoto. She staggered back, fighting off exhaustion.

"Ichigo," she muttered, looking up. He was lying on the ground a little ways away, staring at her with wide eyes. She tried to read the expression in them and found she couldn't. Hobbling toward him, a new voice caused her to spin around.

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events." He stood with a slouch, wearing a green and white hat. In his hands was her own hat. "I believe this is yours?" Naoto eyed him warily, raising her gun.

"Are you friend or foe?" Her voice sounded strange to her own ears. The man laughed and held up his hands.

"Neither. I'm just a handsome shop owner who happened to be in the area." He came closer, close enough so that Naoto could see her reflection in his dark gaze.

Her golden eyes shown stone cold.

_-x-x-x-_

"Hello? Yes, there are three young people lying unconscious in the center of the shopping district. No, I don't know what happened, but they seem to be badly hurt. Yes. Yes. Okay, thank you." Margaret snapped the cell phone shut.

"Everything's done." Yu appeared, grey eyes flat and blank. It unnerved Margaret somewhat, but she didn't let her true feelings show.

"How did she do?" she asked.

"As planned." He crossed his arms. "Who's the guy with the orange hair?"

"None of your concern." Margaret thought she saw something flicker in Yu's expression. It was gone too fast for her to be sure, however. She glanced behind her at the broken bodies of her assailants. "Let us go, Igor will fulfill his promise."

They left and didn't look back.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **Sorry this is late, I had to fix a problem with my in the ass to do, too. Anyway, this is the chapter where shit goes down, and things will only be more awesome (hopefully) from here on out._  
_

_Return of the Thief, _out.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Memento Mori**

Ichigo couldn't take his eyes off Naoto.

It made him feel weird, but he couldn't help it. Staring at him brought a strange conflict of emotions rushing through Ichigo. He didn't quite know what to make of it. Just remembering how Naoto's eyes had burned gold during the fight made Ichigo shiver with a strange mixture of fear, excitement, and jealousy.

"How are you feeling?" Ichigo shifted his gaze to Urahara, who was standing on the other end of the room.

"Better. What the hell did you do?" He flexed his muscles, feeling good as new.

"I got permission from Soul Society to use a… special medicine on you. They've been very keen on keeping you healthy, since you saved the world. I suppose it's an attempt to repay the debt they owe you." Urahara fluttered his fan, which hid his mouth. Ichigo hated when he did that. It made the already enigmatic man that much harder to read.

"Not like my health makes much of a difference anymore," Ichigo said with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. Urahara didn't deign that response with a reply. They both then returned their attention to the slumbering Naoto, who had fainted soon after the fight.

_I wonder… he's a human who couldn't see the Hollows, same as me. But then he did something, and suddenly he could see them and fight them. Protecting me, this time around. _Ichigo hated the realization. _But still… could I maybe pick up whatever he did? _It was a tantalizing thought with exciting possibilities. Sure, Ichigo wouldn't be a _shinigami_, but he would be able to protect his friends and family from Hollows and the like. Hell, he would be able to _see _his Soul Society friends.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Ichigo," Urahara said. He blinked and glanced back at the other man.

"Shut up, weirdo." Ichigo looked away, scowl back in place. As per usual, Urahara had burst his optimistic bubble and put him in a bad mood. Naoto groaned and shifted, instantly commanding their attention. The detective slowly opened his eyes, blue once more, blinking blearily.

"Where am I?" Naoto asked groggily.

"My shop." Urahara fluttered his fan in that annoying way of his. "No need to thank me for helping you out, I'm just your average entrepreneur." Naoto stared at him blankly for a moment. Then his eyes widened and he sat bolt upright.

"T-the monsters!" he yelped, voice becoming incredibly high pitched.

_Did this kid never hit puberty, or something? _Ichigo thought. Then again, he supposed he was being rather harsh; the Hollows would shake up any normal person who'd never seen them before. But Ichigo knew instinctively that Naoto was not normal. Far from it, in fact.

"Don't worry about them, they're quite… dead." Urahara smiled. "You handled that rather nicely, if you can recall it at all." Naoto said nothing for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"They were invisible… and then I –" He stopped himself. Ichigo narrowed his eyes. Naoto shook his head, running a finger through his fine, dark blue hair. "Never mind. Where's my hat?"

_Has anyone ever been so obsessed over an article of clothing? _Ichigo silently watched as Urahara said he'd retrieve it before walking out. Then he cleared his throat. Naoto jumped, seeming to notice Ichigo for the first time, much to the ginger's annoyance.

"Oh! Ichigo… or would you rather I call you Kurosaki?" Naoto said, automatically assuming a solemn air.

"Ichigo's fine. You have a lot of explaining to do." Ichigo glowered at him.

"As do you. What were those things?"

"Hollows. They're dead souls that weren't sent to Soul Society and lost their Chain of Fate. They devour people and spirits with high _reiatsu_ to try and fill the hole in their heart." Ichigo was matter-of-fact, taking delight in Naoto's shock. The other young man went rigid, completely frozen. Then he recovered and took a deep breath.

"Please explain in greater detail." He gazed at Ichigo intently, so intently it made Ichigo somewhat uncomfortably. Naoto could drill a hole through an iron board with that stare. However, Ichigo began to talk, explaining Soul Society, Hell, and Hueco Mundo to Naoto, as well as _shinigami_ and Hollows and _reiatsu_. Once he started, he found it difficult to stop. It was strangely relieving to discuss these things. Sure, it was vaguely mentioned around his friends, but they never _really_ talked about it. It was as though everyone was afraid that discussing Ichigo's past would somehow set him off.

_Like they thought I'd just snap and… kill myself or something._

"… So yeah, that's the whole life-after-death thing in a nutshell," Ichigo finished lamely, not quite sure how to end the explanation. Naoto didn't respond for a second, allowing it all to sink in.

"How do you know this?" It was so sudden that Ichigo did a double take.

"Huh?"

"How do you know… all of these things? You couldn't see those Hollows, so how could you possibly be aware of them?" Naoto's gaze became even more searching, if possible. Ichigo broke contact.

"I could. Once. I was a… a _shinigami _at one point." Ichigo thought he could detect a strange sense of understanding in Naoto's gaze. "That was my… my power, as you put it."

"How did you gain this power? It is rational to assume that you'd have to be dead to be a death god, and yet you seem quite corporeal." Naoto never sounded more like an old man than at that moment. Ichigo snorted cynically.

"I was special. They call it a substitute _shinigami_. I could separate myself from my body, and fight Hollows in a spirit form. I'm a human with a high _reiatsu_, or at least I was, which is why it was possible. It started with me being able to see ghosts, and then transgressed to something… more." For the first time, Naoto seemed confused.

"I don't understand… how can a human be privy to such powers?" Ichigo thought of his father, but knew he wouldn't tell Naoto. That was a strangely private matter that he didn't like to discuss with anyone.

"It's complicated. Look, the important thing is, I had the ability to become a _shinigami_, and then I lost it. Seventeen months ago, when I saved the world from a crazy butterfly freak." He met Naoto's gaze, and they both understood the significance of the seventeen months. "Now it's your turn. How did you do… whatever you did?"

"I'm not quite sure." Naoto seemed troubled. "I know my gun… my gun!" He straightened, looking around wildly.

"Not to worry, I have it, Naoto-san~" They both turned to see Urahara had re-entered the room. Ichigo stifled his irritation to the best of his ability. The blonde casually tossed Naoto's hat to the young man, who caught it somewhat lethargically. His sharp blue laser vision was now directed at Urahara.

"I would like my gun returned to me." There was an icy undertone to Naoto's polite request. For a moment Ichigo thought Urahara was going to refuse her. However, he simply smiled.

"Of course. For you, anything, Naoto-san, considering the fact that you saved our precious _friend_." Ichigo bristled at the perceived insult.

"Now… please," Naoto said solemnly. Urahara paused, his expression seeming to change infinitesimally. A sudden sharp tension filled the room, thick and stifling. The duo was locked in a staring contest that annoyed Ichigo, who felt somewhat antsy and left out. Urahara seemed to relent, a bright smile curving across his sly features.

"Right away. As you wish." He bowed slightly, somehow making the respectful act incredibly mocking, before leaving once more. Naoto exhaled, jamming his hat back on his head.

"What do you think of that man?" he asked. Ichigo blinked.

"Who… Urahara?"

"No, the other enigmatic blonde," Naoto said dryly. Scowling, Ichigo crossed his arms.

"He means well. Urahara is a good man." They stared at each other wordlessly for a moment.

"But do you trust him?" Naoto's question surprised Ichigo. He blinked.

_Do I trust him? _Ichigo honestly didn't know. It felt like Urahara was always hiding something from him, from the Hogyoku within Rukia to the ramifications of his Hollowification to his father's true identity. Mouth suddenly dry, Ichigo swallowed.

"I…"

"Here we go! One magical gun coming up!" Urahara flounced back in, waving the weapon about like a flamboyant child. Naoto gazed at Ichigo for a moment before directing his attention back to the shop owner.

"Thank you." He gingerly took it from Urahara, expression oddly tender. Ichigo saw Urahara catch the look as well, which ticked him off for some reason.

"Do you want something?" Ichigo asked aggressively. Urahara flopped on the ground, flashing the ex-_shinigami _a smirk.

"Only an explanation. I'd like to know what happened to you both. You can skip the ending, though, I was there for that."

"We were attacked by several Hollows. I used the gun to defeat them," Naoto said simply. Ichigo glanced at him briefly. If he didn't want to elaborate, Ichigo wasn't going to say anything either. However, something suddenly occurred to him.

"Wait a minute… where were you while we were getting mauled? And Ishida, Chad, or even Orihime?" As much as Ichigo hated the idea of being rescued by any of them (especially Ishida), he abruptly realized that it was strange that none of them ever showed up. Urahara hesitated, a shadow crossing his face, and Ichigo felt his stomach clench in foreboding.

"Something blocked the Hollows' energy. It was only after it receded that I perceived your danger." Naoto seemed confused again.

"Wait a minute… how is Ishida and Orihime involved?" he asked.

"They aren't _shinigami_, but they have the ability to see and fight Hollows," Urahara said softly. Naoto furrowed his brow as he contemplated this.

"So then –?"

"What happened, Urahara?" Ichigo spoke softly. There was a moment of utter stillness. Urahara lost all pretentions of his carefree attitude. Sighing deeply, he took off his hat, seeming to look at everything but Ichigo.

"You won't like it."

_-x-x-x-_

The slow beep of the monitors filled the deathly silence of the room. Thin white blankets covered Ishida's bloody wounds. The bespectacled teen's expression was peaceful. By all appearances, he seemed to be asleep.

Ichigo decided, in that moment, that he hated hospitals. There was a lack of safety in the whitewashed walls that he'd never experienced at the clinic. It was all so impartial and sterile… it reminded him of Soul Society.

"You're bleeding." Naoto. He glanced up. The detective had a strange, closed-off expression. He looked utterly blank and emotionless. In that moment, Ichigo almost despised him. Slowly glancing down at his fists, Ichigo realized he'd clenched them so tightly he'd broken skin. Somehow, he didn't really care. Ichigo thought of Chad and Orihime, in their own respective wards, also clinging to life by a thread. He thought of whatever had done this and felt a surge of hatred.

"I'll kill whoever did this." His voice was low and deadly serious.

"Don't be foolish," Naoto sounded like Rukia in that moment, "if your friends, with their… abilities… couldn't do anything, why would you be any different?" Ichigo knew she was right.

_I'm absolutely worthless. _Ichigo had never felt so pathetic in his life, not even after his mother died. He felt a sudden, irrational anger toward Soul Society. _Where were they in all this? Urahara said they owed me a debt… gave me medicine… if they really cared about what I wanted, they would've protected my friends… _His mouth twisted into a bitter, sardonic smirk.

"Ichigo… are you okay?" Naoto said softly.

"Yeah. Fine and dandy. My friends are on the brink of death, and it's probably my fault."

"That's not true –"

"Yes it is! Everything comes back to me! It always does! I… I'm…" _I'm special, don't you understand?_ "I'm supposed to protect them." Ichigo looked down at the ground, feeling vulnerable. Naoto had the grace to look away.

"They were my friends too." If Naoto thought that would make him feel better, the detective was terrible at comforting people. However, maybe there was another way he could help… Ichigo slowly looked back up at him, realization dawning on his face.

"Could you… get me to do… whatever it was you did against the Hollows?" Ichigo asked. Naoto's eyes widened.

"I… I don't…" The detective floundered, not expecting the abrupt request. Ichigo fell to his feet, grabbing Naoto's coat.

"Please. I need to protect them. Somehow… someway… I need to keep them safe." Ichigo's amber eyes met Naoto's sapphire orbs. He seemed fidgety and nervous. Ichigo didn't care.

"It's not… it's not that simple…"

"I don't care! I went to fucking Hueco Mundo and back for Orihime! I'll do anything… anything… for them." Naoto gazed at Ichigo helplessly. "Please."

This had the strangest effect on Naoto. His expression clouded over. For a long moment he stood there, looking at Ichigo but not actually seeing him. Just as the orange haired teen was about to give up in despair, Naoto nodded curtly.

"Very well. We'll leave for Inaba tomorrow."

_To be continued..._


End file.
